Exhibition of comics inspired by the tragedies “Electra” by Euripides and Sophocles and “Hephoroi” by Aeschylus

Michael Cacoyannis Foundation

28 April – 10 May 2022

Action: ‘Establishment and promotion of international sites of contemporary culture in Attica’

The action is carried out in the framework of the programme for Ancient Drama and Popular Tradition

With the title: Atreides: Great Narratives / Revolutions in the Scene

Institution: Interdisciplinary and Inter-artistic Approaches”

The Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation presents the comic book exhibition Electresses of the World from Thursday 28 April to Tuesday 10 May 2022.  Contemporary artists have created original stories inspired by the form and character of Electra, the symbolism and the individual themes that accompany the tragedies “Electra” by Sophocles and Euripides and “Hephoroi” by Aeschylus.

Participants:

Rene Angelidou (Fokshee), Nikos Agathos, Dimitra Adamopoulou, Iakovos Vais, Thomas Valianatos – Io Armata, Melina Vlachou, BLESSED – Lida Zahopoulou, Yannis Galeos, Dimitri Chevet, Conan Nanco, Georgia Kalogeropoulou, Valia Kapadai, Thanasis Karampalios, Thomas Kefalas, Nikos Kourkoutas, Kristanz, Chrysa Lambrakopoulou, Giorgos Mikalef, Marios Boras, No Budget Epics, Kalli Doltceti, Pavlos Pavlidis, Dimitris Papoulias, Angeliki Salamalikis, Eleftheria Sarri, Dimitris Trakosas – Afroditi Rizou, Nikos Tsouknida – Maria Karazanou. 

Their stories, although they often follow the archaic myth, place it in a contemporary socio-political environment or in the world of fantasy, subvert it and serve as a means of revisiting the inextricably interconnected concepts it deals with, such as the administration of justice, revenge, personal and collective responsibility and moral consistency.

Art historian Athena Exarchou comments in the exhibition catalogue: ‘Taking the dramatised myth of the Atreides and the way in which characters and events intertwine within the ancient narrative, the question arises as to whether similar psychic landscapes survive in the present day and in contemporary cultural production. Domestic conflicts, the mores of closed societies, femicide, vendettas, psychological deadlocks, abuse of power and recourse to vigilante justice are not only a thing of the past, but continue to make headlines and shock public opinion without always bringing about some kind of catharsis.

These dramas are often recorded by the media not just as isolated incidents, but as episodes in a story: the viewer/reader follows the plot from the beginning to the escalation of the action and its eventual conclusion. It is precisely this narrative structure, the conflict of characters and the path to redemption that is also found in comics: the pictorial rendering of stories through which the reader (looks) at passions, familiar and uncomfortable situations, comic and tragic figures. In this exhibition, Electra is reduced to a personification of revenge and moral duty, becoming both victim and perpetrator, and is used by the creators to depict contemporary dilemmas, historical events and social inequalities.”

Opening: Thursday 28 April at 8pm.

Opening hours: daily and weekends 18:00-22:00.

Free entrance.

Curated by Calliope Liadi, Artistic Advisor of the Programme.

More information on the website www.ancientdrama.gr