Athens, whose age-old ideals, stories and icons still echo throughout Western civilization today, is carrying its cultural legacy to Beijing, the ancient capital of the East.

The Greek odyssey of the arts begins at the new Apothiki Art Centre, in eastern Beijing, with an exhibition of 15 contemporary painters from the famed homeland of Aphrodite and the Acropolis. The show, which runs until the end of July, "is the first major exhibition of Greek painters ever to visit China," says Dimitris Dellis, one of the museum's main curators.

"Athens is passing the Olympic torch on to Beijing, and with this historic event, a series of artistic, athletic and far-reaching exchanges is taking place," says Yannis Dimotsis, a photographer-designer who accompanied the Greek painting exhibit to the Chinese capital. Dimotsis adds that these cultural contacts will gain in scope and occurence in the run-up to China's 2008 staging of the Greek-founded Olympic Games.

Dellis hopes this event will prompt more exchange between artists and philosophers of the respective countries, as, "Greece, the founding civilization of the West, and China, the ancient civilization of the East, can meet," to jointly sow the seeds of the globe's future.

On display now at Apothiki (http://www.apothiki.com/gallery/gallery_beijing.html) are Greek artists spanning the last four decades whose works range from abstract to photo-realist and animated neo-pop art.

Admirers of ancient Athens' art and mythology will likely be drawn to two oil paintings on display at the show, produced by Pavlos Samios, who recreates classical Greek gods and mortals in modern settings. In "A Night in New York," Samios depicts the princess Andromeda, on the verge of being sacrificed to Poseidon's sea demon, before she is saved by the demi-god Perseus and his flying horse Pegasus. In the second work, a Greek maiden, surrounded by a fire-breathing creature while Zeus throws thunderbolts nearby.

In contrast, animation artist Constantinos Kakanias illustrates cartoon-pop works, obscuring cultural borders, as well as those between reality and the imagination. Kakanias, as well, pokes fun at art aficionados even while selling his works to them. His "Athens or New York?" contains a painting within a painting, a cartoon-blurb declaring: "THIS PAINTING IS A MASTERPIECE!"

Dirk Drijbooms, who opened twin Apothiki galleries, one in Beijing and the other on the Cycladic island of Paros in Greece (http://www.apothiki.com/), says he hopes the cultural centres will inspire artists in each country, allowing them to cross the continents with their crafts.

A small group of Chinese artists are slated to headline a show entitled "China Unplugged" at the Paros Gallery in August, with more exchange opportunities in the works.

Back in Beijing, Apothiki promoter Shannti Dinnoo remarked, "the East End Art District around Apothiki will soon be alive with music, films, acting workshops and gatherings every weekend, beginning in September." She adds that "Apothiki will join forces with Platform China and Theatre in Motion (all located within the district) to feature visual and performance artists, along with music gatherings on the sidelines of the Beijing Biennial, set for the end of the summer."

In October, Greece will stage a show of its contemporary photographers at Beijing's Chaoyang Park, to be followed by a weeklong Greek film festival, according to Elena Avramidou, cultural attache at the Greek Embassy in Beijing. "There will be an increasing number of these exhibitions and exchanges as Greece prepares to pass the Olympic torch to China," she adds.

The Greeks created the Games in 776 BC as a bridge between their gods, who resembled mortals, and human heroes, aspiring to reach divine perfection. This desire to excel gave birth 2,500 years ago still evidenced today in such famed works the Acropolis, with its soaring sculpted deities, as well as in achievements in science and the development of democracy, which changed the course of Western history.

Concurrently, Confucius was formulating his ideals on a harmonious society, the founders of Taoism were creating a new way to perceive life through the stars, and Buddha pioneered a path towards enlightenment and nirvana.

This peculiar "Axial Period" in history, or age of philosophers, when human values, ways of thinking and perception of the universe, took place simultaneously in diverse cultural centres around the world. Today marks a unique time to return to such thoughts, as China and Greece begin forging a common future, says curator-philosopher Dellis.

Dellis, who claims there are parallels between Zhuang Zi and Pythagoras, Confucius and Plato, adds that "art exchange must be matched by a philosophical dialogue in order to truly understand each other."

He says that as a growing number of artists and thinkers shuttle between the cradles of Eastern and Western civilizations, "the Greek spirit must meet ancient Chinese wisdom."

Dimotsis believes that each side must maintain a similar goal to revive pieces of its cultural past. For example, he says, that "Christian zealots attempted to eliminate our Olympian gods and sculptures" 1,500 years ago, as ancient Greek culture came under constant assault during the country's occupation by Turky.

Greek official Vassiliki Cossiavelou adds: "China and Greece have a common interest in seeking the return of core artwork and artefacts which were seized from each country during periods of occupation under foreign powers." She cites as an example the removal 200 years ago of the Parthenon's irreplaceable sculptures, now held by the British Museum.

Most Greeks had been hoping for the return of the Parthenon marbles in time for last year's return of the Olympic Games. Yet the sensational opening show Athens staged for the Games marked a full-scale Greek renaissance: sculpted Greek icons and images of the ancient past were reborn, taking flight over the stadium in a high-tech display worthy of the gods of Mount Olympus.

Since then, a spectrum of Greek ministers visited China "in part to improve our cultural connections, but also to share our knowledge of the Olympics," says Cossiavelou.

To pave the way for increasing exchange, the Greek National Tourism Organization (http://www.gnto.gr/) recently opened a state-of-the-art bureau in Beijing's Jianwai Soho, just as the Greek Minister of Tourism attended the opening of the Apothiki show in Beijing before being whisked off to a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People.

Cossiavelou, one of the dynamic young Greeks who heads the tourism bureau, pushing for stronger contacts, says: "We hope to open another tourism centre in Shanghai, along with direct flights between Beijing and Athens, as soon as possible."

(China Daily 07/19/2005 page13)