The Ersi Gallery presents the solo painting exhibition of Christiana Garofalidou on Thursday, October 4, 2018, at 20:00.

“The contact with the past is helpful, reassuring and stimulating,” writes Jacquelline de Romilly in her essay Ce quejecrois.

The contact with the past enriches the present and encourages the future, especially when it comes to the Greek spirit that fertilized the European ground and the western world in a broader sense.This is no stereotype, of course; it is the result of experience throughout the ages and personal choice. “Nothing is more modern than the ancients”. “Yes, there is a modern reading of the ancient culture. In fact, there are many readings and they are all useful.”Especially, when it is attempted by young people, like Christiana Garofalidou, who chooses an emblematic work: the Parthenon, and in particular the pediments, those superb architectural parts with the sculptural “decoration”. Before the amazed eyes of the statues, she adds her own distinctive comment on the ancient work of art having bright intentions and modern view– and this is what matters: The gesture, namely to shake hands in a new dimension.

Particularly interesting is the title that the artist chose,Crisis and Conflicts, which is illustrated more in the painting section of her work, where red –the favorite color of the ancients and of all the conflicts throughout the ages–plays a determining role. A kind of conflict appears in the other section as well between the plasticity of the marbled forms and the one-dimensional, dashed line of the drawings in a fragile counterpoint. The difficulty in transiting to any following stage and the desperate effort to communicate is detected behind the lines.

Showing respect to the ancient way, Christiana Garofalidou, exhibits her extraordinary works openly, seeking crisis – criticism that fosters dialogue and supports any promising boldness.

Extract from the text Assembling the fragments in a modern way of Dr. Vivi Vassilopoulou,
Archaeologist - Art Critic