Greece - Korina Miller [326]
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Art Of The Aegean: L’olivier, Naxos Des Hannigan
The first time I walked into L’Olivier ( 22850 32829; www.fish-olive-creations.com; Halki), a ceramics gallery and shop in the little village of Halki on Naxos, it was late evening, early summer. The velvety dusk of the Tragaea, the mountain basin of Naxos, had settled like a veil on Halki’s little village square. Young owls hooted from marble ledges on the facades of old Naxian mansions. Inside L’Olivier it was as if a sunset glow lingered. Even the artificial lighting was subtly deployed. Everywhere I looked were pieces of stoneware ceramics and jewellery that took my breath away.
Each piece of work reflected the ancient Mediterranean themes of fish and olive that are at the heart of the work of Naxian potter Katharina Bolesch and her partner, artist and craftsman Alexander Reichardt. Three-dimensional ceramic olives framed the edges of shining plates or tumbled down the side of elegant jugs and bowls. Grapes too, hung in little ceramic bunches. Painted shoals of fish darted across platters and swam around bowls and dishes. Silver and ceramic fish jewellery extended the theme. Those first impressions have never faded. Each time I walk into L’Olivier now, the world lights up.
Katharina Bolesch was partly brought up on Naxos and is rooted in the island’s landscape and culture. Alex Reichardt is entirely of the Mediterranean. His life among the islands and his long experience as a diver inspire his painted fish motifs, his silver and ceramic fish jewellery, and his work in wood and marble. These two outstanding artists are based in a tiny Cycladean village, yet their fame is international and their work has been exhibited in such major galleries and museums as the Academy of Athens, the Goulandris Natural History Museum, Greece’s Cretaquarium, the UN Headquarters in New York and the Design Museum of Helsinki.
President of the Goulandris Natural History Museum, Mrs Niki Goulandris, is a longstanding patron. She speaks enthusiastically of the work of Bolesch and Reichardt and places it within the traditions of classical Greek and Cycladic art while recognising its modern context. ‘Their work represents boldness and commitment to tradition,’ she says. ‘Their motifs are emphatically the symbols of the Greek land and sea.’
In spite of such a high profile, the work of Bolesch and Reichardt remains entirely accessible and affordable. L’Olivier is a cornucopia of beautiful yet functional work that includes jewellery, tiles and dishes, large jugs and bowls of luminous beauty, fine artefacts in olive wood, and olive products such as oil and soap.
In 2006 Bolesch and Reichardt opened a separate gallery and workshop just around the corner from their shop. Here they stage exhibitions by accomplished artists in a building that has been designed with great style and that fits perfectly amid Halki’s traditional Naxian facades and the serene beauty of the Tragaea. (Poor-quality imitations of Katharina Bolesch’s work are sold elsewhere on Naxos, so be warned.)
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Halki is spreading its cultural wings even further with the inception of an annual music, arts and literary festival, the Axia Festival (Aug/Sep), which will feature international musicians, artists and writers. The festival is nonprofit and is organised by the L’Olivier gallery.
An alternative scenic route from Hora to Halki is along the road that passes Ano Potamia. It’s here that you’ll find Taverna Pigi ( 22850 32292; mains €5-22), known for good local cooking, enjoyed with the serene music of the gurgling spring that the taverna is named after.
Panagia Drosiani Πααγα Δροσια
The Panagia Drosiani ( 10am-7pm May–mid-Oct) just below Moni, 2.5km north of Halki, is one of the oldest and most revered churches in Greece. It has a warren of cavelike chapels, and several of the frescoes date back to the 7th century. Donations are appreciated.
Sangri Σαγκρ
The handsome towerlike building