Temporary exhibition of the artist Maria-Smaragda Skourta: Byzantine Transcriptions. Gardens full of light
28 July 2022 until 27 October 2022
The Byzantine and Christian Museum presents the solo exhibition of the distinguished visual artist Maria-Smaragda Skourta entitled "Byzantine Transcriptions. Gardens full of light".
In the painting section entitled "Gardens full of light", the artist s works are inspired by the iconographic motifs of the Byzantine illuminated manuscripts and the nature motifs of the Museum s gardens. By transcribing miniature details from the Byzantine manuscript texts, Maria-Smaragda Skourta creates painted representations, three-dimensional constructions and digital installations with an original kaleidoscopic perspective. Historiated initials, floral, animal and geometric motifs as well as secular or religious scenes of illuminated manuscripts are used as models for the creation of different compositions in a multi-layered image space. The face-to-face projection of these images literally "binds" the viewer s gaze in an uninterrupted process of multiple readings.
In the second section, entitled "Devotions", the artist draws inspiration from cult objects of the Museum s collections, using mixed media and materials, she creates Byzantine-like reliefs with seal stones, bread stamps and talismans. These works, entrusted with the holiness and the mystical power of the symbols, foster understanding and appreciation between the viewer and his cultural background.
The artist s long apprenticeship in Byzantine art provided the appropriate approach to the originals and to their symbolism resulting in the respectfully reproduction of replicas. Thus, the works presented in the temporary exhibition of the Byzantine & Christian Museum, on the ground floor of the historic mansion of the Duchess of Plakentia, are, as a whole, a means of familiarizing the public with a highly symbolic art, challenging them at the same time to interpret it in their turn and to reconstruct their own new realities, full of the fragrance, harmony and spirituality of a glorious past!
Opening of the exhibition: Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 19:30
Exhibition duration: July 28 to October 27, 2022
