Although these spaces can sometimes convey a sense of eerie loneliness to the viewer, for the painter they were a refuge; they are warm, familiar, lived places, where the spirit of their former occupants lives on.

Lida Kontogiannopoulou’s painting exhibition entitled “The House of Memory” at the Benaki Museum / Ghika Gallery, was recently inaugurated by the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The exhibition was organized as part of the events intended to honor the memory of the poet George Seferis on the 50th anniversary of his death (September 20, 1971). The inauguration took place without the presence of the public, with a limited number of guests due to the health measures for the pandemic.

Lida Kontogiannopoulou began painting the interiors of houses of her favorite artists, spurred by the idea of fellow painter Niki Eleftheriadi. In the winter of 2016-17, he “discovered” the house of George Seferis on Agras Street. There, under the hospitable roof of Anna Londou, daughter of Maro Seferi, she created 13 large and small interiors until January 2021, which compose the main body of the exhibition, along with nine other paintings from the houses of Panagiotis Tetsis and Natalia Mela.

Although these places can sometimes convey to the viewer the feeling of eerie loneliness, for her they were a refuge; they were warm, familiar, lived places, where the spirit of their former occupants lives on. That is why the depicted spaces have become a portrait of hers, more easily comprehensible and more personal than a regular self-portrait. Apart from paying tribute to the occupants of the specific houses, there was always somewhere within the intentions of the painter (both conscious and unconscious), this most essential goal of preserving the memory that these spaces still carry.

Exhibition curator: Nikos Paisios
Design: Dionysis Fotopoulos
Director of the accompanying film screening at the exhibition space: Lakis Papastathis

The publication that accompanies the exhibition was created thanks to the sponsorship of VERGOS AUCTIONS and the support of the Foundation “THE OTHER ARCADIA”. Edited by: Dionysis Fotopoulos.

Exhibition duration: September 22, 2021 – January 8, 2022

Opening Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday: 10:00-18:00, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: Closed