IYP X B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation, Athens
It empties, it fills the light
Curated by: Panos Giannikopoulos & Takis Mavrotas
The exhibition It empties, it fills the light, highlights the significance of light in art, presenting a diverse and fresh dialogue between emblematic works of art by seventeen distinguished and emerging artists. Through installations, painting, sculpture, and photography, the participating artists explore the conceptual references of light, ranging from its metaphysical dimensions to its plasticity, as well as its everyday presence, from the 1960s to the present day.
The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness how light transforms from a natural phenomenon into a medium of artistic expression, while also paying homage to the enduring influence of artists such as Takis, Antonakos, Chryssa, Bouteas, and Lappas. It also features works by contemporary artists such as Apostolou, Gerasimou, Efeoglou, Karakostanoglou, Kontis, Laskari, Nikolakopoulos, Patsourakis, Sagonas, Touliatou, Charitonidi and Hassabi.
This exhibition, an amalgamation of two curatorial perspectives and the dialogue between contemporary and historical artists was an idea conceived by Marina Miliou-Theocharakis, curator of contemporary art and advisor to the Board of Directors of the Foundation. The exhibition is co-curated by Takis Mavrotas, director of the visual arts program at the B&M Theocharakis Foundation, and Panos Giannikopoulos, curator of the Greek Pavilion of this year’s Venice Biennale. Combining the longstanding expertise of renowned Takis Mavrotas, with the fresh and contemporary perspective of Panos Giannikopoulos, this collaboration offers a multidimensional perspective on the conceptual, historical and artistic exploration of light.
The artworks in the exhibition are sourced from the collections of EMST (the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens), private collectors including the collection of Anastasios Foufounis Mavridakis, Irene Panagopoulou, and Themis Alexopoulos, as well as from the artists themselves or the galleries representing them (Zoumboulakis, The Breeder, and Sylvia Kouvali).
The exhibition will run until February 16, 2025, and is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue of the same title, featuring all exhibited works and texts by Takis Mavrotas and Panos Giannikopoulos.
Featuring: Takis, Stephen Antonakos, Chryssa, Yannis Bouteas, Giorgos Lappas, Eugenia Apostolou, Pinelopi Gerasimou, Dimitris Efeoglou, Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, Giorgos Kontis, Anna Laskari, Pavlos Nikolakopoulos, Eftychis Patsourakis, Fotis Sagonas, Iris Touliatou, Despina Charitonidi, Maria Hassabi.
Takis (Panagiotis Vasilakis) (1925-2019)
Blue light signal, c. 1969
Metal rod, blue light signal and electric system
208 x 21 x 24 cm
Unlimited edition, Widcombe Manor Bath
