DURATION  

21 JULY - 31 JULY 2022

ORGANIZERS

MUNICIPALITY OF EPIDAVROS - GR COLLECTORS - IMAGINE VISUAL ARTS

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Municipality of Epidaurus in collaboration with Imagine Visual Arts is organizing a group art exhibition entitled "Deus ex machina"
(The "God from the Machine"), at the Xenia Epidaurus space, at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus from July 21 to 31, 2022.

The idea of ​​the exhibition comes from a contemplation of contemporary art and ancient Greek theater. A reference to the "god from the machine" as the divine intervention that resolves a seemingly unsolvable situation, bringing harmony.

The title of the exhibition, the Latin phrase Deus ex machina comes from the Roman poet Horace who in his work Ars Poetica (Poetic Art) advises poets not to use the "god from the machine" of Greek tragedy to solve the problems of the plot of their work. Euripides was the first to introduce the “machine” god to resolve the dramatic plot by using mechanical means (cranes) to allow gods and goddesses to descend onto the stage. Essentially, it is a case of surfacing (i.e., divine appearance to mortals), which occurred at the end of a tragedy, facilitating the tragic poet to provide a natural resolution to the myth of his work. In literature, the term refers to the use of a character by the author to change the plot or to resolve the story.

The depth and layers of meaning created by the works in the exhibition are intended to spark an open discussion between supernatural themes, religious constructions, quasi-science and architecture of ancient Greek theater with the concerns of modern man.

As the Mayor of Epidaurus, Tasos Chronis, notes in the exhibition catalogue: "For another year, Epidaurus, the beacon of culture, is ready to welcome an exhibition with important artists. The hospitable and emblematic space of Xenia Epidaurus offers shelter to artists who were inspired by the space, took strength from the energy of the area and ultimately created a unique exhibition on the theme of the "machine-made" god. Epidaurus, inextricably linked to theatrical education and training, but also to the largest festival of modern Greece, emphasizes the element that solves the case of a tragedy or is the voice of reason in an absurd situation that must ultimately be led to atonement.

The artists Angelos Antonopoulos, Kalliopi Asargiotaki, Kostas Varotsos, Vasilis Goumas, Dimitris Zouroudis, Giorgos Kazazis, Haris Kontosfyris, Vangelis Liougkas, Nikos Moschos, Ioanna and Christina Bali, Lila Belivanaki, Lia Blioumi, Ioli Xifara, Vivi Papadimitriou, Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos, Vasilis Perros, Rania Ragou, Panagiotis Siagris, Marios Spiliopoulos, Giorgos Tserionis, Maritasa Tsimblaki, Dimitra Hanioti, Erato Hatzisavva, with their works, answer the question of how much we ultimately define our own fate or do we seek some external factor to come to "save" us.

At the same time, within the framework of the exhibition, a rare engraving by Salvador Dali titled "Athena", 1963 from the Mythology series of works that he created between the years 1960-1964 is presented.

The exhibition is curated by Art Historian Eleni Gatsa.

SEE THE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE ONLINE