Jenny up the HILL

Jenny up the Hill is a shop and exhibition space in the center of Ermoupoli, on the Cycladic island of Syros. It offers a wide range of products, from jewelry, books, textiles and ceramics to paintings and other art works, created by contemporary artists from Greece and elsewhere. It functions as an exhibition space, a shop as well as a meeting place for people with an interest in culture and exchange.

The name Jenny up the Hill paraphrases an old Greek saying. It refers to a female donkey climbing a hill and as such, it points to resilience, to a stoic animal with determination climbing a mountain, taking it’s time and not minding it’s burden.

As a brand Jenny aims to give different, positive meaning to the word γαιδουρα, gaidoura, female donkey. In Greece a woman is usually called gaidoura when she is unpleasant and inconsiderate. A woman prioritizing herself before others is not acceptable in the traditional, patriarchal society. Jenny is a brand that embraces and celebrates the resilient woman that puts herself in the center and climbs up her mountain.

Jenny up the Hill is an initiative from Vivi Papakosta. Vivi studied political sciences in Athens, and worked for several years in real estate and property management. As she did not feel at home in a mainly profit oriented culture, she decided to create her own brand, combining fair business with broader social and cultural values.

For the international exhibition program Jenny up the Hill will cooperate with contemporary artists and galleries. The program will be directed by Jurriaan Benschop, who works as a writer and curator in Berlin, Athens and other places. His latest book Why Paintings Work addresses the question how to speak in clear and meaningful language about art.

You can contact us through mail via: info (at) jennyupthehill (dot) com