World-A-Reggae | International Reggae Poster Exhibition in Athens, Greece

 

The founders of the International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC), Michael Thompson and Maria Papaefstathiou, are pleased to announce the opening of an exhibition of art, on Thursday, 22 November, at the renown AKTO art and design college in Athens.

This one-month exhibition, follows, by two months, the first exhibition which opened on 30 September last at the National Gallery of Art in Kingston, Jamaica.  As in Jamaica, this exhibit will include the top 100 posters as well as special contributed works from respected designers, and special events such as a panel discussion on music poster design, and a silk-screen printing demonstration by Manolis Angelakis from TIND.

The opening is being organized by the Jamaican Consul General to Greece, William Argeros. It will be accompanied by reggae music, an offer by German Selector, Hille, from SoundQuake Sound/Germany and Chairman of HELP Jamaica!

The exhibition will be hosted by Mr. Argeros, and invited guests will include members of the diplomatic community, school officials, designers, students and fans of reggae music.

In attendance will be,

Consul of Jamaica William N. Argeros
Maria Papaefstathiou & Michael Thompson (Contest Founders, Greece & Jamaica)
Charis Tsevis (Visual designer, Jury member of the contest, Greece)
Luba Lukova (Poster Artist, Jury member of the contest, USA) – on SKYPE
Alon Braier (1st place winner of the contest, Israel) – on SKYPE
Hille from SoundQuake Sound, Germany

The exhibition in Jamaica concluded its six-week run on 9 November after a very successful opening on 30 September attended by officials of the Jamaica Ministry of Culture, acclaimed author and journalist Professor Carolyn Cooper, the director of the National Gallery, Dr. Veerle Poupeye, and IRPC contest winner Alon Braier who traveled from Israel to Jamaica with the support of the Israeli government. Sister Susan Frazer, Director of Alpha Boys’ School, was also present and the Alpha Boys’ School Band, led by Winston ‘Sparrow’ Martin, provided live music accompaniment throughout the afternoon for a complete artistic and cultural experience. The works of art and enthusiastic Jamaican public enjoying them was documented by all the major local and international media including Jamaica’s national broadcasters and the BBC.

Michael Thompson and Maria Papaefstathiou launched the groundbreaking contest 27 December 2011 with the goal of attracting submissions world wide from contemporary poster designers. Interest in the contest grew sharply and at the end of March 2012 when the submissions window closed, there were 1,950 designs but a total of 1,142, , from 80 countries, made it to the final judging. A distinguished panel of judges known for their creativity and commitment to design was assembled to select contest winners from a select group.


The founders, Michael Thompson (Jamaica) and Maria Papaefstathiou (Greece) in front of the map of success!

The IRPC announced the top five winners in June:
1st Place: Alon Braier (Israel) – Roots of Dub
2nd Place: Zafer Lehimler (Turkey) – Reggae Star
3rd Place: Rosario Nocera (Italy) – Riddim is Freedom
4th Place:  Tomasz Bartz (Poland) – Burning Spear
5th Place:  Taj Francis (Jamaica) – The Upsetter

For additional information about the contest and to view the 100 best posters, please visit: http://www.reggaepostercontest.com/winners/winners2012/

The objective of the First International Reggae Poster Contest is to promote awareness of reggae music and celebrate its positive impact on the world. The term Reggae invokes not just all popular Jamaican musical genres—ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and dancehall—but all the unique social elements as well. The Jamaican sound system and Alpha Boys’ School, for example, two institutions that have supported the reggae community over the years are featured prominently in the exhibition.

The depth and breadth of the posters featured in the exhibition show the profound impact the music has had on an international level. Indeed, international participation in the IRPC reflects the positive energy of reggae, one of Jamaica’s many gifts to the world, is alive and well. The diverse entries to the IRPC are a powerful testament to the global reach and love for reggae music with special shout outs to Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brasil, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Estonia, India, Iran, Jamaica, Libya, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Venezuela and Vietnam, to name just a few.

The IRPC is pleased to provide a unique way in which the various branches of the reggae tree may participate together. IRPC founders also have a long term bricks-and-mortar objective: the realization of an iconic, contemporary architectural home to document and present the achievements of reggae and the way reggae connects Jamaica to the world.  More than a contest, this event reflects an artistic vision and a social vehicle toward realizing this vision–a Reggae Hall of Fame housed within a Frank Gehry designed building. Jamaica deserves a monument of this stature to bear witness and celebrate the achievements and the living heritage of reggae music.


Reggae Hall Of Fame Vision in Kingston. Design by contest founder Michael Thompson

A great example of Jamaica’s heritage is Alpha Boys’ School, a residential vocation school for at-risk boys aged 8 to 18 years old. In addition to tailoring, agriculture and woodworking, Alpha’s music program has launched the careers of an all star list of reggae music pioneers in ska, rocksteady, dub and reggae including Don Drummond, Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Smart, Leroy Wallace and Winston ‘Yellowman’ Foster. At the end of the exhibition, the posters will be auctioned to the public with the proceeds to benefit Alpha and support the amazing work of a great Jamaican success story. The IRPC community is pleased to honor Alpha’s past while contributing to its future.


Alpha Boys’ School. Poster Design by contest founder Michael Thompson, acontribution for the Alpha. At the Alpha Boys’ School (right) and the Alpha Band performing during the exhibition (below) .

 

We invite you to join us.

 

Maria Papaefstathiou

VISUAL DESIGNER since 1996 and blogger since 2010. Living in Athens, Greece. She has been focusing her research on poster design and particularly on social poster design and portrait design. Her main poster project is a series of posters celebrating great personalities of traditional and popular culture in Greece and Jamaica. These include actors, singers, musicians, poets etc. This is an ongoing project. “I believe that design is a powerful tool that we designers can use to spark enthusiasm, change mindsets and bring positive actions to our world and our culture”. FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF GRAPHICART-NEWS.COM BLOG. She carefully curates high-quality designs, illustrations, and art, from all over the world that will teach and provoke other designers. Many consider her blog to be an exceptional educational tool. CO-FOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL REGGAE POSTER CONTEST which was launched on December 2011, partnering, the creative activist Michael Thompson aka Freestylee. (www.reggaepostercontest.com)

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