Opening: Tuesday 19th of April 2022
Exhibition duration: 19.04 – 21.05.2022
Location: Gallery “7”, 20, Solonos str., Kolonaki, Athens
Curator: Chloe Akrithaki
Participating artists: Dimosthenis Avramidis, Christos Athanasiadis, Alexis Akrithakis, Chloe Akrithaki, Evgenia Apostolou, Kostis Velonis, Alexis Veroukas, Martha Dimitropoulou, Athina Ioannou, Lizzie Kalliga, Ekaterini Kanakaki, Apostolos Karakatsanis, Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, Peggy Kliafa, Harrie Kourkoulis, Vasiliki Lefkaditi, Marianna Lourba, Kleopatra Moursela, Liana Markaki, Irini Miga, Christos Bouronikos, Nikos Papadopoulos, Ilias Papailiakis, Alexios Papazacharias, Hara Piperidou, Lila Polenaki, Dimitris Rentoumis, Georgia Sagri, Ivi Samara, Nana Sahini, Kostas Sahpazis, George Stamatakis, Magda Tammam, Tolis Tatolas, Filippos Tsitsopoulos, Kostas Tsolis, Efi Haliori, Mantalina Psoma, Capten, Paolo Colombo.
Peggy Kliafa participates in the exhibition with the artwork/installation:
“Nature is Innocent”
Comprising the wallpaper entitled “Nature is Innocent” and 2 aquarelles-paintings entitled “Canabis Sativa L” (Marijuana) and “Papaver Somniferum L.” (Opium)
Curator’s Text:
Spring may be late this year but it is here for good. We close our eyes for a while and listen to this little flower that springs up in the most unexpected places and whispers tender words to us about love, passion, the beginning of a new life. For all those things that make our life beautiful, special and unique. All these and many more secrets that we ignore and may never know, no matter how much we look at a blooming flower or a field of poppies.
In Boris Vian’s “Froth on the Daydream”, when a lily grows in the lung of the main character the doctor recommends that she surrounds herself with flowers. Flowers are both medicine and poison. The walls are rounded. The room narrows. The world around us is dangerously shrinking. One more time the sound of war is getting closer.
Spring, flowers everywhere.
Honeysuckle, amaryllis, anemone, azalea, violet, gardenia, carnation, jasmine, gladiola, sunflower, hyacinth, iris, bellflower, lily, orchid, daisy, forget-me-not, mimosa, begonia, daffodil, buttercup, dahlia, pansy, petunia, snapdragon, tulip, rose, freesia, sambac jasmine, chamomile, chrysanthemum…
Garden flowers or wildflowers, humble or aristocratic, exotic, small or big. They grow on the roadside or decorate a vase. Their main purpose is to reproduce and perpetuate the species. Their colours attract not only bees, butterflies and ants but also us, humans. Not only they beautify our life but over the centuries they have become an integral part of art and have inspired artists all around the world.
The exhibition “Froth on the Daydream” presents works by 40 contemporary Greek artists inspired by the flower. Since our childhood we have all painted flowers. At some point, all artists have engaged with flowers, either exploring their symbolism or simply capturing their beauty. Some works already existed, some were adapted and many were created especially for this exhibition. Thus, all the works of the exhibition are “flowers from my friends”*, whose importance lies not only in their multifaceted symbolism but also in the act of giving itself. Works as diverse as their creators.
The exhibition includes works on paper, on canvas, collages, crafts, installations, ceramics and photographs.
Works that represent spring, the joy of sight or smell, the coolness of dew, the warmth of earth or the passion of fire. Works that confront memory, pain and healing, war and peace.
The whole, an imaginary garden in bloom from April 19 to May 15 at Gallery 7.
Chloe Akrithaki
*In 1990 Alexis Akrithakis presented the exhibition “Flowers for his suicidal friends” at Gallery 7.