This October, Greek contemporary artist Manolis Anastasakos presents MYTHOS: MNEMOSYNE in the heart of London’s St James’s. Debuting during the capital’s busiest art month and named after Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory, the show promises to provide a welcome riposte to the surface vacuity of the modern age. A critique of an art industry often driven by the vagaries of consumerism and pop culture, the exhibition offers a sacred space for contemplation of the various mythologies and deeply embedded archetypes that have shaped our individual identities and collective consciousness across centuries and continue to do so.
Exhibited by Varvara Roza Galleries, in collaboration with The Blender Gallery, MYTHOS: MNEMOSYNE invites us to see far beyond the walls of Plato’s cave and experience a deeper reality, where memory and time intertwine across human existence. Here, classical deities and mystical cities slowly reveal themselves from the veiled depths of huge Rothko-esque canvases, in which the minimalist classicism at the core of Anastasakos’s artistic practice reminds us of the personal resonance of mythologies – each work casting epic tales across our own inner landscapes.
“Myths, by their very nature, unfold gradually. The more time and focus you devote to them, the deeper your understanding becomes. My artworks similarly reveal themselves through careful observation, inviting viewers to discover their hidden aspects through critical thought and analysis.” – Manolis Anastasakos
This series, which Anastasakos began in 2014, is the culmination of a philosophical and artistic quest that delves into the core of human existence, reflecting the artist’s own inner dialogue between antiquity and modernity, offering an intricate interplay of abstraction, minimalism, and the baroque. Through this artistic pluralism, the works transcend traditional interpretations of myth, with each piece acting as a mirror, allowing the viewer to see themselves within the narrative, and uncover personal layers of meaning among timeless stories of humanity – weaving through a panoply different civilisations and iconography.
Set among the works from this incredible series of paintings are also two thought-provoking sculptural installations exploring themes of life, death, and memory. The first, Shadow Theatre, presents a crucified skeleton depicted through X-rays and enclosed in a plexiglass frame. Lit by LED lights, the artwork plays on the contrast between light and shadow, reflecting on the fragility of existence. Previously exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Greece, this is the first time the sculpture has been shown internationally.
The second, Once Upon a Time I Was Human, is an upside-down ziggurat structure made of wood, plexiglas, and resin, with a human skull at its centre. Surrounding the skull are symbolic elements that represent different aspects of life and death. The sculpture’s dimensions, symbolising the 40 weeks of pregnancy, suggest death as a form of gestation. Hidden LED lights highlight intricate details, inviting reflection on the transience of all life.
Works by Manolis Anastasakos are part of permanent collections at the LACDA Museum (Snap to Grid), Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (Los Angeles, USA), MOYA Museum of Young Art (Vienna, Austria), Archaeological Museum (Athens, Greece), the National Roman Museum’s Diocletian Baths (Rome, Italy), the Luciano Benetton Collection (San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy), the Benaki Museum, NEON & Marina Abramović Institute (Athens, Greece), and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Palazzo Rizzo (Palermo, Italy).
MYTHOS: MNEMOSYNE by Manolis Anastasakos opens at Varvara Roza Galleries, 8 Duke Street St. James’s, London SW1Y 6BN from 2nd – 22nd October 2024. @varvararozagalleries
- Paul English