When George Seferis visited Cappadocia in 1950, some three decades after he left as an immigrant from Vourla in Smyrna, his birthplace, the fragments of previous civilizations impressed him he found there. He visits the frescoes he sees in the cavernous churches, sensing the fragility of a place that has been a refuge for many cultures in times of war and persecution, recording his observations as a diary. Instead of focusing on the clash of cultures and hostilities, he seeks answers in the figures of the frescoes and in the figure of the popular artisan who captures ‘with clumsiness, but also with all the coolness of spontaneous gesture’ an authenticity that may have been lost in religious iconography through its gradual standardization. The group exhibition Constellations Exploding Anew traces the interactions and divergences between two cultures meeting within an existing geographic context. Through six installation artworks, the artists present their interpretations, drawing on the study of styles, traditional art forms, material and immaterial rituals, and historical and anecdotal narratives.

Curated by Eva Vaslamatzi, and featured the works by Larissa Araz, Maria Varela, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Alexis Fidetzis, İz Öztat & Fatma Belkıs, Malvina Panagiotidi, the exhibition will run between July 3 — August 31, 2024, at the Tavaniotis Mansion, Maronia. 

https://allofgreeceone.culture.gov.gr/en/event/constellations-exploding-anew/

Image: İz Öztat & Fatma Belkıs ©Άγγελος Χιλλ