Two large-scale, made-in-Greece exhibitions are being hosted by two major Parisian cultural venues, La Gaîté Lyrique and the Palais de Tokyo. At La Gaîté Lyrique, the Athens-based cultural organization Atopos is displaying a revamped version of an exhibition ARRRGH! Monsters in Fashion, which first opened at the Benaki Museum in 2011 -a unique display, examining the expansion of the pop phenomenon of paradoxical, imaginary and monsterous characters in fashion and dress. In Paris, the show opened on February 13 and runs through April 7, 2013.

It is noteworthy that after the initial presentation at the Benaki Museum, the show is constantly evolving: the Atopos organization has continuously been approached by artists and designers and, as a result, half of the items going on display in Paris are completely new.

Meanwhile, the Palais de Tokyo -one of the world’s renowned centres for contemporary art- will be showcasing a Greek exhibition exploring the ongoing debt crisis and the country’s image abroad. The exhibition Hell as Pavillion, features works by up-and-coming as well as established artists and goes on display from February 25 to April 4.  There will also be a screening of Hell as Pavillion-The Appendix Film on February 27-28. Films by Greek artists, from various generations and alternative creative idioms, create a world of unexpected relationships, including paradoxes of the Greek culture, unresolved tensions within Greek identity as well as the crises that have shaped Greek history.