I am born and grown up in Greece: that definitely makes me a Southerner. Those days, phones were analogue and while my mother was working at the central phone station connecting phone calls as a phone operator, my father was repairing the electric circuits at the same building.

Outside that building and all over Greece, old ladies in black were everywhere, orbiting like human satellites around our life from its beginning until its end. Apart from a few politicians, no Greek would bother if he is a European and had no need to prove it either. There was a single book on the History of Modern Art, but you could go find Tsarouchis at his garden in Marousi and look at him while he was painting. Google cars would not take pictures for their maps: it was a totally PC universe (PreComputers and PreContemporary art) and I remember myself in it, excited, bored and happy

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SOUTH was published by Marina Fokidis, a lady trapped between North and South. Charismatic but not-determined, courageous but not always, dedicated still losing most of her time doing "jobs", Marina would always throw her diamonds to the dogs: after 5 amazingly "South" issues, she gave the magazine to the Northerners of DOCUMENTA with the illusion that once they are done with it, she"ll bring back somehow its originality.

Find here "South" before and after

Our lifestyle is now updated in real time. At the same time, all kinds of distances are cancelled.
Everywhere in the world, South and North become just one: NORTH.
In the Western territories of the Northern World and mostly Europe, a new Middle South is born.

In the NORTH, the deal between society and government was always clear.
During fascism, society is asked to obey, during democracy, society is asked to debate.
In both cases - in the NORTH - art is the authorized voice of society.
Therefore, during democracy, art HAS to debate.

In the old South the deal between society and government has never been clear
and its not clear at the new Middle South either .
This new MIDDLE SOUTH is already visible in the self-transforming territories such as Greece and Italy below Rome.
People there aren't perfectly comfortable, even if they accept the ultra-modern NORTHERN lifestyle,
they are searching for an art that's somehow different from the very successful industry of isolation our contemporary art has become.

In the NORTH, most public money are spend to protect.
When fascism reigns, culture is protected by regulation.
But even when there is democracy and culture seams free, still it's controlled in elaborate, quite religious ways,
art institutions are the new temples and their directors the new high priests.
The artworks have to make it to the collections of the Museums as sacrifice: artefacts of propitiation and worship.

The people of the new MIDDLE SOUTH aren't perfectly happy with this Church of Art. They are already looking for alternatives.
Art forms in websites, videogames and software pass from one computer to another,
from one network to another, they belong to collections and at the same time to everyone: they are digital graffiti.
In cities such as Rome, where real graffiti are either immediately erased or blackened out,
such Digital Graffiti are absolutely necessary. Speaking about Rome, I believe that this city is our new MIDDLE SOUTH's Capital.

Rome is an important city, the way Berlin was once important, (when it had a Wall).
In Rome there's still an emblematic wall: the Wall of Vatican.
On that ancient wall, the new wave of Middle South crashes. The Vatican Wall is the first obstacle that our new MIDDLE SOUTH
We need to throw down.
In the process, all kinds of signed graffiti-such as Sistine Chapel-will be liberated and that will bring good luck to the art of our new MIDDLE SOUTH

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-Is there something wrong with this page? Asks Michel Reijns, the press-person of EU Council's General Secretary of the on July 27, 2015, a few days before the Referendum launched by the Greek Government.
-Yes Michel.. something IS wrong.."The Eurogroup has been open until the very last moment to further support the Greek people through a continued growth-oriented program" - writes Michel at the Eurogroup's website - "Regrettably, despite efforts at al levels and full support of the Eurogroup, this proposal has been rejected by the Greek authorities who broke off the program negotiations late on the 26 June unilaterally. The Eurogroup recalls the significant financial transfers and support provided to Greece over the last years"
and:
"The Eurogroup takes note of the decision of the Greek government to put forward a proposal to cal for a referendum".

Like a patient parent, “Europe” tries to educate Greece and give it a second and a third chance to become full Europe, full North. But Greece is ruining those efforts. The (poor) country wants a REFERENDUM now, that’s too much for the EU and its Council.. Greece governors want to ask the multitude if it agrees honoring “Europe's” demands and ultimatum, only that Democracy is a fine concept for Europe only as far as its worked out by professionals (economists, political parties etc.), definitely NOT depending on the multitude. I don’t trust “the people” either, they just mess up everything that’s cool and great. Consumerism/nationalism/religion/spectacle/leisure tourism seams to be what “the people” care for. Or that has changed? Maybe the multitude upgraded lately, after all now it has internet. So why not ask “the people” stuff? Europe's aversion towards Experimental Democracy is suspicious. Continents a lot more important (because of their link to nature) such as Latin America and Africa- are looking now to Europe for a paradigm (US and ASIA enslaved in their monetary interests, seam to just following their miserable destiny dictated by consumerism/nationalism/religion/spectacle/leisure tourism).