Exhibition presented as part of the
GENETO ART FOUNDATION Artist – In-Residence Program
Organised by GENETO ART FOUNDATION

Duration March 11 – March 18, 2026
Enryaku-ji Kaikan Café,
Enryaku-ji Temple Complex, Mount Hiei, Kyoto, Japan

On March 11, 2026, the GENETO ART FOUNDATION presents the exhibition ARCHITECTURE OF MEMORY, a new body of work by Greece-based artist Myrto Sakka, developed during the artist’s residency with the GENETO ART FOUNDATION in Kyoto.

The exhibition will be presented at the historic Enryaku-ji temple complex on Mount Hiei, one of the most sacred sites of Japanese Buddhism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set within the contemplative landscape of Mount Hiei, the historic center of Tendai Buddhism, where a spiritual tradition has been sustained
for more than 1,200 years, the exhibition explores what the artist describes as the invisible architecture through which memory, history, and consciousness shape human experience.

Through painting and symbolic visual language, Myrto Sakka investigates how personal and collective memories are carried across generations. Central to the works are kamon, traditional Japanese family crests that function not only as emblems of lineage but also as vessels of cultural continuity. By reimagining these forms, the artist approaches historical symbols as living structures of memory rather than fixed historical artifacts.

The works also resonate with the artist’s Greek cultural heritage. In ancient Greek mythology, memory was personified by Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses, suggesting that artistic creation itself arises from remembrance. Within the paintings, visual elements inspired by ancient Greek amphorae and archaic kouroi
appear alongside references to early Japanese dogū figures and traditional family crests. Through these correspondences, the exhibition creates a subtle dialogue between two ancient traditions: the mythic understanding of memory in the Greek world and the contemplative philosophy of Buddhism.