Xirómero/Dryland, which will be representing Greece at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, is an interdisciplinary collective work. It consists of a piece of agricultural irrigation equipment that synchronizes the installation’s sound, video and lighting in real time. The artists investigate the experience of a village festival by following its course from the village square all the way to the outskirts and surrounding land. More specifically, they draw their inspiration from the experience of the panigyria -local festivals- of mainland Greece, Thessaly and the area of Xirómero, in Western Greece, which lends the work its title.

The artists behind the work refer to water as a prism —a way of seeing and thinking—focusing on its scarcity or abundance, on how it is needed or wasted, as well as on its social connotations. The exhaustion of resources is linked here to physical and financial exhaustion. The work navigates the political potential of sound and music, and the impact of technology on rural landscapes and cultural diversity.

The project and its presentation in Venice have been funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. EMΣT / National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens is the commissioner of Greece’s national participation. Research for the purposes of the installation was commissioned by the Onassis Foundation

NEON has been a long time supporter of Greece’s national participation at La Biennale di Venezia and supports Xirómero/Dryland for the 2024 participation through its annual Grants Scheme.