Works and installations by the visual artists:

Sofia Vlazaki, Kosmas Lilikakis, Eleni Manolaraki, Lamprini Boviatsou, Miranda Skilouraki, Pepi Chatzidaki, Aliki Chiotaki.

Curated by Myrto Kontomitaki

On an island that traditionally dethrones, doubts and never rests, the idea of an exhibition on the subject of the throne, and specifically the personal throne, was welcomed very warmly. The different interpretations by the seven visual artists have been riveting, moving, totally unconventional and packed with messages. Their installations are Today’s conclusion, Yesterday’s distillation, and in direct relation to everyone’s Lives.

The etymology of the word throne has its roots in the word thrao, which means… to seat, to set. A humble word, from which even the word thranio (desk) derives.

Let’s all be seated and look around, to see what else there is. Our thrones are simply seats, personal or not. These seven peculiar thrones, surrounded by works of art selected by each of the visual artists, in order to enforce his/her message, invite us to sit and become part of them, to think and wander around the spaces of the mind, the spaces of the exhibition My Own Throne.

The beauty of these installations will overwhelm you.

Sofia Vlazaki
An allegorical meaning of the throne is what works in this case as the basis of my inspiration. In the present composition I am setting the compositional elements which I used for my works, unprocessed, expecting them to function in a revealing manner, towards my interpretation of the meaning of the throne. The position and the basis of my inspiration, as already mentioned, is presented as an underground and magical awe which I find easy to recognise, yet difficult to define. It is connected, for example, with the enthusiasm that one feels when facing many objects, as often occurs in flea markets. Different, but very specific objects represent us, causing a undefined attraction, this way “talking” to us about certain elements of ourselves. Such awe also inhabits my childhood memories. I believe that artists and children use some form of play, as a process towards self realisation. Therefore, I could pick no other throne to present, than the one accompanying childhood years, in an allegorical manner.

Kosmas Lilikakis
Kosmas Lilikakis collects anything he happens to find on the street (objects of daily use, boxes, dry leaves, snails) anything that may seem useless to other people, may be of use to him. He draws inspiration from the environment and the landscape, without getting trapped in them. Anything that may interest him, he turns it into an installation.

A lot of his works are subtle forms of criticism on consumerism.

However, what characterises his work, is Colour and Light.

Eleni Manolaraki
Inside my little home country

My throne corresponds to a kingdom where I myself am the sole citizen, often rebelling against my own legislations.

it is complemented by works on the wall, as references to the place.

It is composed by a family heirloom and earth.
The handmade chair, constructed with no special tools by my grandfather, corresponds to the traditional practices for what is necessary. Meaning, first the realisation of the need for something and then the execution through ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Th earth marks the Earth as the mother of seeds, as the feeder of all living beings, but also as a reminder of the conclusion awaiting our perishable body.

I sit there inhaling essential microparticles of conscience.
I connect with the past and spin the present towards the future.

From this position I gaze at the mountains, I am with them, I am the mountains, when my ecstatic practice succeeds, when the piece within is achieved.

Oh! The miracle of the cosmic unity.

Lamprini Boviatsou
There is something, something the human leaves behind, along his/her path.

It is something immaterial, unreachable, yet dynamic and powerful. Within the constant changes of human existence, within this lively kaleidoscope of life’s route, this remains unaltered and exists immaterially.

It is the trace left behind by that which he/she struggled for, thought about, created.

This stays for ever, like a gift passed on from generation to generation. Like a seed passed on from one hand to another, so that it can be replanted again and again and eventually blossom, continuously developing, through new eyes, new conditions, new eras.

It is then that the human immaterially exists, inspire of his physical ending. And this realisation is comforting and relieving, like a caress by a beloved hand.

Miranda Skilouraki
My Own Throne
My throne, my soul. An invitation, a calling, to all of you, to understand it, giving me emotional nurturing, vital energy, which enrich my life and creations. An embrace, a giving, an opportunity and a wish, for interaction. Come on.

Pepi Chatzidaki
My own refugees
People of different races, nationalities, colour and class, who have been driven out of their home countries throughout the centuries.
People who were once rich, regardless of whether they lived in huts or palaces, as they used to live in their birth place, with their families, their land, their roots, their culture and their history.
I see them standing upright, proud, unyielding, determined. With the dignity of someone who is aware of one’s position, then and now. Who does not ask for mercy, but the honourable supply and demand.
I see them ornamented with the long-standing ornaments of their races. Ornaments sculpted by knowledge, tradition, wealth of the fairytales and wisdom of their ancestors. Ornaments not for the body, but for the soul and the spirit.
And I see them blind, because when forced to escape to save yourself, you don’t see where you are going… You don’t know where you are going…
The Arc of Memory and Hope forms a point of reference. The precious corner in their souls, where each has placed their memories, the “heritage” from ancestors, their faith, their customs and habits, but also their hopes and their goals and their expectations.
For those who lost everything, but did not get lost.

Aliki Chiotaki
Breathe in… Breathe out.
-Where do I live?
-Everywhere and nowhere.
-Where do I go?
-I do not know.
Breathe in… Breathe out.
Listen!
-How do I feel?
-Easily exportable.
Breathe in… Breathe out.
The need to live is connected with the need to survive.
It is based on the need for continuous, non-stop cohesion.
Pause… Heart beats…
The condition of serene ignorance.
They threw us out, in the vastness of the earth, offensively and inexplicably.
She was being nurtured by the past
…which she felt it more like a story, rather than the voice of some forgotten memory.
Breathe in… Breathe out.
Pause… Heart beats…