Agape Harmani  

A play on the title of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, the video performance Η ΚΑΛΗΜΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΡΜΟΤΑΣ (Groundhog Good Day) (2022–ongoing), is a group improvisation inspired by (Greek) morning shows broadcast daily on national television. Designed to cater to the assumed interests of housewives and to entertain them while doing their house chores when the rest of the family has left for work or school, these hourlong morning shows – heavily influenced by US-formats of the like – typically feature a moderator and invited guests engaged in discussions, cooking, celebrity news and other reporting. In a humorous appropriation of this format, Η ΚΑΛΗΜΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΡΜΟΤΑΣ (Groundhog Good Day) was conceived by Greek artist Agape Harmani as an ongoing series currently consisting of seven episodes in two seasons, with the performers introducing the same or new roles in each episode. Investigating ways in which one can exist and/or perform in systemic, institutional and notoriously patriarchal conditions, the work challenges the idea of performativity within gender- and class-based systems of power, in interpersonal relations, in real life and online. Contextualising “daily life” through clichéd angles, Η ΚΑΛΗΜΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΡΜΟΤΑΣ (Groundhog Good Day) is simultaneously seductive and alienating; a social study and a satire. 

At soft power, Η ΚΑΛΗΜΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΡΜΟΤΑΣ (Groundhog Good Day), a body of work that exists exclusively on YouTube, will be screened on loop in full-length (approx. 120 mins., Greek with English subtitles), inviting visitors to gather around a large breakfast table and to collectively “binge watch” the show during SELLERIE WEEKEND, the Berlin independent scene’s off-program coinciding with Berlin Gallery Weekend. Coffee and breakfast will be served.