From February 21 to March 23, 2025, the City of Athens Art Gallery will host the exhibition of the artist Elena Papadimitriou entitled “Bouche fermée” (“Closed Mouth”), which is supported by the Culture, Sports and Youth Organization of the City of Athens.

The exhibition is an alphabetical anthology on female oppression and consists of 24 paintings by the artist.

The choral music term “Bouche fermée” refers to an instruction to choristers to produce a low sound with their mouths closed when playing a note. Elena Papadimitriou, by visually transposing the musical term, brings out a poetic yet harsh symbolism, concerning the experiences that, even today, lead women of all ages to scream internally, but their voices are not heard.

The artist uses the letters of the alphabet as a tool of expression, which correspond to flowers that seal the mouths of 24 women, depriving them of their voices.

The female figures were arranged in alphabetical order, based on the initial letter of the flower-figure, and linked through evolving costume patterns. Their mouths are covered by the flowers they hold and choose as protection for their survival. “The flowers abolish the exotic expression of despair and become loudspeakers of resounding female silence,” as Elena Papadimitriou notes. At the same time, the works highlight, with abstract simplicity, the inner expression of the depicted persons through the strong emphasis on the symbolic rendering of the figures and the use of the elongated shape that characterizes the morphological proportions of the Byzantine tradition.

As art historian Louisa Karapidaki, who is the curator of the exhibition, says, “Papadimitriou manages to visualize the concept of silence, not as an absence of sound, but as a cry that remains unresolved. Her works balance between Byzantine tradition and contemporary visual language, creating a visual space where silence becomes a voice.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue (in Greek and in English) with texts by Louisa Karapidakis and Angelika Psarra, translations by Fotini Pipis, photographs of the works by Christos Simatos, catalogue design by Marianna Poga and Christos Simatos (ps.design) and printing by G. Kostopoulos Graphic Arts SA.

The Creators| Crew of the exhibition
Exhibition curator: Louisa Karapidaki, art historian | Architectural curator: Elena Zervoudaki | Sound installation: Antonis Palaskas | Graphic design applications Marianna Poga | Communication: Yannis Asdrachas

The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday 21 February 2025 at 19:00.

Exhibition Duration: 21 February- 23 March 2025
Opening Hours: Tuesday- Saturday 11:00-19:00, Sunday 10:00 – 16:00, Mondays closed

Admission is free

City of Athens Gallery (Building A΄):

Leonidou & Myllerou, Avdi Square, Metaxourgion

Information: 210 5202420| www.opanda.gr