Curated by Dimitris Paleocrassas, Art historian and consultant of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection, Dream On brings together 18 large-scale installations from the D.Daskalopoulos Collection by Greek and international artists, as well as a newly commissioned work, and 20 drawings.

The exhibition follows the announcement of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift, presenting some of the most important works of the Collection which will then be donated to 4 museums in 3 countries over 2 continents (EMST, Tate, and jointly to the Guggenheim and MCA Chicago).

This is the first time that a crucial mass of the large-scale works of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection will be exhibited in Greece, gathered in the open, freely accessible space of the former Public Tobacco Factory.

According to the exhibition’s curator Dimitris Paleocrassas, Dream On is permeated by a sense of plenitude brought about by the realization of a great dream: an artist’s ambitious yet elusive goal attained through the unbridled creativity of large-scale installations. Similarly, through the D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift, the dream of its owner becomes a reality: a private collection transformed into a public good to be preserved for future generations of audience and artists.

Dream On features 18 large-scale installations by artists John Bock, Helen Chadwick, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Martha Dimitropoulou, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, David Hammons, Thomas Hirschhorn, Damien Hirst, Michael Landy, Maria Loizidou, Paul McCarthy, Annette Messager, Maro Michalakakos, Wangechi Mutu, Paul Pfeiffer, Alexandros Psychoulis, Matthew Ritchie and Anna-Maria Samara. In addition, Kostas Ioannidis, a new commission by NEON, creates a large-scale audio work delivered in whistling language.

Alongside the installations are 20 artist’s drawings of some of the works prior to their creation.

Dimitris Daskalopoulos, NEON Founder notes: ”I feel particularly proud to be collaborating again with the Hellenic Parliament; the leading state institution, so that NEON can host another exceptional exhibition in the historical building of the former Public Tobacco Factory. We witness the building’s transformation -after its renovation into a new cultural hub for the city of Athens – delivering NEON’s aspiration regarding the importance of the public space.

This exhibition reflects a turning point in my personal path in the field of arts. The large-scale installations exhibited in Dream On will then embark onto a new journey; the works will travel in 3 different countries over 2 continents to be included in the collections of 4 different museums, as part of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift. Through this donation, these works -along with many others from the Collection- will be reborn, become accessible to an even wider audience and shall receive the necessary care to be preserved for future generations and maintain a dialogue with the art of the future.”

According to Elina Kountouri, Director of NEON, ”contemporary art focuses on current issues, political and social ideas – identity, ideology and globalization. Especially in large scale installations, many artists work in a variety of media often using everyday materials to create environments that engage the viewer into a unique, immersive encounter.

Dream On presents this selection of important large-scale installations, the majority of them for the first time in Athens, before they are disseminated to their new guardians and made available to even wider audiences. This exhibition encapsulates the firmly held belief of Dimitris Daskalopoulos and NEON that art takes its meaning by its interaction with people.” she ends.

Constantine An. Tassoulas, President of the Hellenic Parliament says: ”The Hellenic Parliament proudly reopens the exhibition space of the former Public Tobacco Factory, to present an impressive collection of works of contemporary art made by internationally-acclaimed artists, donated by the D.Daskalopoulos Collection to four major international museums, including EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens.”

In the framework of the exhibition, the innovative educational program “Is This Art?”, designed and implemented by the Hellenic Children’s Museum and NEON, shall also take place. Through an experiential process, visitors become familiar with contempo- rary art and develop multiple ways of understanding the works made by contemporary artists.

NEON app enables the user to browse the exhibition autonomously, see various artwork images and learn about the exhibited works and their creators, as well as receive information about the parallel programme and events.

NEON, founded in 2013 by collector and entrepreneur Dimitris Daskalopoulos, breaks with the convention that limits the con- temporary art foundation of a collector to a single place. NEON’s space is the city. It acts on a multitude of initiatives, spaces, and civic and social contexts. It seeks to expose the ability contemporary art has to stimulate, inspire, and affect the individual and society at large. NEON constructively collaborates with cultural institutions and supports the programmes of public and private institutions to enhance increased access and inventive interaction with contemporary art.

A Collaboration between the Hellenic Parliament and NEON
Dream On exhibition
Curator: Dimitris Paleocrassas, Art Historian
former Public Tobacco Factory – Hellenic Parliament Library & Printing House 8 June – 27 November 2022