The EMST opens its doors to IannisXenakis (1922-2001), one of the most important artists of the 20th century, whose multi-level and radical work paved new paths for the culture of the 21st century. In collaboration with leading musical institutions from both of Xenakis’s homelands, the Musée de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris from France and the Athens Music Museum-Odio of Athens from Greece, the EMST is organizing the largest international exhibition presentation of Xenakis’s work.

The exhibition IannisXenakis will be presented on the ground floor of the Museum: Sonic Odysseys, the first major comprehensive exhibition in Greece on the pioneering composer, music theorist, architect, engineer, mathematician and one of the most progressive and creative thinkers of the second half of the 20th century. During the 1950s, Xenakis broke the codes of contemporary music and created a musical genre entirely his own. Immediately recognized, yet in a constant state of reinvention and revolution, Xenakis composed music that is at once a reference to Antiquity, an ode to nature and its elements, a tribute to modernism at its extreme, and a vision of the use of technology. His work, widely recognized internationally, has not been presented in depth in Greece until now.

Xenakis pioneered the use of mathematical models in music, for example game theory. He was – and still is today – one of the leading international influences in the development of electronic music and computer music composition. The exhibition presents original material from the multiple layers of IannisXenakis’ irrepressible creativity: photographs, architectural drawings, illustrative scores, models and unpublished audio material. Divided into six sections, the exhibition Sound Odysseys focuses on the most important and unconventional part of his work and sheds light on his personal history, as well as his visual, literary and musical production. It embeds the composer in his time and in the political and cultural movements that defined him as an artist. In a specially designed space, designed by Eva Manidakis and ThanasisDemiris (Flux Office), the visitor is invited to immerse himself in the turbulent personal history of IannisXenakis, to discover the breadth of his work and interests and to travel through his unique and multidimensional universe.

The exhibition is co-produced by the EMST and the Musée de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris.

At the same time, a new EMST production, the exhibition Xenakis and Greece, is presented on the 3rd floor of the Museum, in collaboration with the Athens Conservatory and the Centre for Contemporary Music Research (CSYME), founded by IannisXenakis himself and housed at the Athens Conservatory. The exhibition explores Xenakis’ troubled and complex relationship with his first homeland, from his years in France after his death sentence, to his return to Greece after 27 years of self-exile and his rise to fame. With a wealth of archival material, photographs and letters, the exhibition documents aspects of the rich musical life in Greece in the 1960s and 1970s, the initiatives that promoted the musical avant-garde and supported contemporary composers, and extends to Xenakis’ return and the organisation of his major Greek works, such as the Polytopos of Mycenae.

Edited by Stamatis Schizakis (EMST) and Stella Kourbana (Athens Conservatory-KSYME). Architectural design.

At the same time, the EMST will organize a series of events, such as screenings and concerts, that highlight Xenakis’ legacy in contemporary music and the absolutely topical and always contemporary character of his vision, a universal conception of art, man and place. The Xenakis exhibition is part of the EMST’s policy, which aims, among other things, to promote the work of important creators of the Greek diaspora.

Opening date: 29.06.2023.

Duration of exhibitions: until 07.01.2024