Rasheed Araeen — Klea Charitou

Rasheed Araeen

Location: Kotzia Square, Athens

Inspired by Pakistani wedding canopies and craft traditions, Rasheed Araeen conceived Shamiyaana–Food for Thought: Thought for Change, 2016–17, as an open public structure of vibrant, multi-colored canopies, decorated with minimalist geometric patchworks, wooden tables, and a working kitchen. Installed in Kotzia Square in front of Athens City Hall, the project invited 140 people each day to sit together and share a free meal. Mediterranean dishes made with ingredients from the nearby market were prepared and served by the Athens-based NGO Organization Earth.

The work was part of a broader tradition of participatory art in which food, hospitality, and communal gathering became the medium itself. Rather than presenting art as an isolated object, Shamiyaana focused on commensality and conviviality among participants. It created an active “state of encounter” for people who might not otherwise meet, setting the stage for exchanging ideas and learning from each other.

Araeen conceived the project as both a political and social proposition: an egalitarian, non-hierarchical setting shaped by empathy, integration, and collaboration. At the same time, its design challenged the object-driven logic of art institutions and the market, proposing instead a form of art grounded in collective creativity and everyday life. Food functioned as a precise tactic intended to generate novel cultural and political connections among people from the region who could, through food, collectively reconfigure the Western principles of European modernity and neoliberal politics.

Working with the artist from the beginning of the project in Athens, I was responsible for:
Building and maintaining the partnership with the Mayor’s Office.
Collaborating with a team to assess potential sites and selecting Kotzia Square as the site for the open-air restaurant, a central, politically charged public space near City Hall and the main food market.
Collaborating with a team of architects, engineers, and lawyers.
Overseeing compliance with health and safety regulations.
Assisting in the creation of a functional site-specific structure that met the artist’s vision and responded to the social setting and dynamics of the square.
Finding local NGOs to handle cooking and serving.
Organizing serving shifts with the artist and coordinating suppliers at the local market.
Selecting a four-course Mediterranean menu with different regional influences.
Setting up a free ticket system to ensure a diverse audience, avoid long lines, and hiring experienced on-site project managers.
Supervising day-to-day operations throughout the 100-day exhibition.
Handling crises and protecting the project’s artistic purpose, ensuring that it did not turn into a soup kitchen.
Keeping the project on schedule and within budget through detailed timelines and fund-allocation plans.

Rasheed Araeen, Shamiyaana—Food For Thought: Thought For Change, 2016–17, canopies with geometric patchwork, cooking, and eating, ground operation by Organization Earth, installation view, Kotzia Square, Athens, documenta14. Photo by Yiannis Hadjiaslanis.

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