We are living in an era in which the economic and socio-political crisis is revealed in various ways and affects us at all levels. The uncontrolled use of technology and especially the domination of virtual reality (even in the area of human relations) poses a threat to the emotional and mental stability of the individual and results to passivity. Standardization and massification have led to the homogenization of the world, with the danger of the assimilation of souls, the restriction of free thought and the transformation of human existence into a machine.
Under these conditions, the approach of many contemporary artists, as in the case of Aggelos Antonopoulos, Betty Zervas, Marina Krontira, Aliki Rigou and Dimitris Skourogiannis, may seem démodé as they tend not to follow the established rules. They create by defending their personal freedom of expression, as their work is not just an object or a substitute for an object. It expresses their relationship to the materials they use, the form and the forms they shape to create their personal vocabulary. The end result presented to the viewer is a distinct reality in which the past, present and future, the imagination and the artists' soul's testimony along with their personal view of the world coexist.
The stories they bring to the fore -which touch on the timeless and deep issues that concern us, or at least should concern us- as well as their engagement with materials for the creation of their works may seem old-fashioned nowadays. Nevertheless, their recourse to imagination, which takes shape in each work, is both a zone of solitude and of connection to the world. They discover their place and direction in the chaotic world around them, while triggering distinct thoughts, questions, feelings, memories and expectations for the viewers. With their works, we can simultaneously escape from reality and get closer to it and its "old-fashioned" stories, so that we can "take flight" within ourselves, save our individuality and discover the resources that will sustain us in the future.
Stratis Pantazis
Curator & Art Historian
Artists: Angelos Antonopoulos, Marina Krontira, Aliki Rigou, Dimitris Skourogiannis, Betty Zerva
