Byzantine and Christian Museum :: Temporary exhibitions
Τemporary photographic exhibition by Vassilis Artikos «…In drum and dance ” at the rock-cut churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
25 June 2022 until 09 October 2022
The Byzantine & Christian Museum presents the photographic temporary exhibition of the renowned fine art photographer Vassilis Artikou "In drum and dance "at the rock-cut churches of Lalibela".
Through the photographic lens of Vassilis Artikos, museum visitors will have the opportunity to travel to Christian Ethiopia, and in particular to the northern highlands of the country where the small town of Lalibela is located, home to a unique monumental complex of eleven monolithic volcanic rock-hewn churches dating from the 9th to the 14th century. These impressive churches, considered the eighth wonder of the world, are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and continue to serve the worship needs of the Ethiopian Christian community to this day.
In the 65 photographs presented in the exhibition, the photographer captures the extraordinary beauty of this site that he visited repeatedly, while observing the pilgrims, who flock to Lalibela by the thousands on the occasion of the great Christian festivals. The faithful, wearing white robes and holding sticks to facilitate their difficult journey to the holy shrine, gather at dawn in the rock-cut churches to take part to the mystical liturgy, where elders and deacons chant and dance slowly, to the sounds of drums and percussion instruments.
The photographs are presented along with the paintings of the monophysite community of Ethiopia belonging to the Byzantine & Christian Museum.
Exhibition opening: Friday, June 24th , at 20:00
Exhibition duration: June 25th - October 9th , 2022
