Dates: 20 February to 3 March 2025
daily, between 10:30-13:00 and 17:00-20:00
free entrance
Monastiriou 93b, 2nd floor, Thessaloniki, GR
INTRODUCTION
Context of the project Life, in its unfolding, is marked by inevitable rhythms: cycles of growth, crisis, destruction, and rebirth. Since time immemorial, humanity has sought meaning in this flow, grappling with the fundamental questions of existence. How do we endure adversity? What does it mean to thrive despite our wounds? In a world where speed and noise blur the essential, Eternal Life emerges as a space for reflection on the intrinsic resilience of life and its capacity for transformation. In this project, the analogy between human experience and the geological history of Earth is key. Just as the planet survived the chaos of the Hadean Eon, enduring cataclysms that shaped it, human beings navigate crises that, though painful, allow us to rebuild ourselves. These intimate struggles—loss, heartbreak, uncertainty—are part of a broader process of learning and renewal, connecting us to something greater than ourselves. The project arises at a moment of introspection, where the act of creation becomes both a refuge and a challenge. Painting serves not only as a medium of expression but as a tool to situate oneself within the context of time and existence. From this perspective, Eternal Life is both an inner journey and an exploration of the parallels between the rhythms of nature and those of human life. This context ties the project to the present—a time when resilience, both personal and collective, has become indispensable. It invites us to reflect on how we face our own storms and the transformative power that emerges when we embrace vulnerability. For, like the Earth, every individual possesses an infinite capacity to endure, adapt, and flourish, even in the harshest of conditions.
Justification of the Proposal
The Eternal Life project is relevant to the community because it offers a space for reflection on human resilience and our connection to nature, inspiring the overcoming of adversities and the appreciation of cycles of renewal. Its artistic approach fosters dialogue on universal themes such as pain, strength, and transformation, promoting emotional and cultural well-being. Furthermore, it strengthens community bonds by providing an inclusive and enriching experience that connects individuals to their surroundings and to themselves, highlighting the power of art as a tool for self-discovery and social cohesion. Occasion of the exhibition implementation in Thessaloniki
The realization of Eternal Life in Thessaloniki is particularly meaningful due to its multicultural character and its history of resistance and reconstruction. The city has gone through various stages of destruction and rebirth throughout its history, making it the perfect setting to explore the themes of resilience and transformation that the exhibition addresses.
Additionally, Thessaloniki, with its diversity of cultural influences and its connection to both the past and the present, provides an ideal platform for residents and visitors to reflect on the cycles of life, art, and the human capacity for reinvention. The exhibition can serve as a meeting point between the past and the future, fostering dialogue about how processes of change and overcoming challenges remain essential both on a personal and collective level. Main Objective: What the Exhibition Seeks to Achieve The objective of Eternal Life is to invite viewers to reflect on the cycles of human life through geological metaphors, exploring how both Earth and individuals undergo processes of chaos, loss, and transformation to ultimately reach renewal. The exhibition aims to highlight humanity’s capacity to face existential adversities and to find within them a life force that enables creation and transcendence. Through art, it seeks to offer an experience that provokes deep reflection on resilience, rebirth, and the inherent beauty of life, showing how, despite life’s hardships, there is always a path to wholeness and renewal.
Description of the project
Theme Eternal Life explores the profound connection between the natural cycles of the Earth
and the existential cycles of human beings. In a world that seems to consume us as we move forward, this exhibition delves into the idea that both nature and we undergo moments of radical transformation: periods of chaos, uncertainty, which give way to renewal. Through painting and other forms of artistic expression, the project delves into the reflection on life’s transitions— pain, loss, metamorphosis—and how these moments are inherent to our growth. Art becomes the medium that allows the viewer to experience this process of resistance and rebirth, intertwining the personal and the universal, the ephemeral and the eternal. The exhibition is a meditation on human fragility, but also on its indestructible capacity for regeneration, much like the Earth, which, after millions of years of deep transformations, remains alive, vibrant, and in constant evolution. Target Audience The exhibition is aimed at a general audience, without distinction of age or cultural background. Although the themes addressed may particularly resonate with young adults and individuals interested in philosophical or existential reflection, Eternal Life offers a space for exploration for any viewer willing to delve into the complex rhythms of life and art. The goal is to provoke a profound experience that connects the viewer to their own experience of time and creation. Format Eternal Life will be presented exclusively through a series of paintings, accompanied by explanatory creative texts that will accompany each piece. These texts will provide a deeper understanding of the concepts and analogies between natural processes and the cycles of human life. The exhibition space will be thoughtfully designed to allow the audience to walk among the works and immerse themselves in the conceptual world of Eternal Life, while confronting the existential concerns raised by the exhibition. The artworks will be arranged in such a way that the journey encourages a gradual reflection on the cycle of life, suffering, and creation, culminating in a sense of regeneration.
Materials In "Eternal Life" Exhibition
the works are composed of acrylic paint applied on recycled cardboard, a material that is not only accessible and versatile but also reinforces the exhibition’s central theme: transformation, regeneration, and resilience in the face of adversity. The use of recycled materials connects directly to the idea of renewal and resilience, showing how what seems discarded or consumed can come back to life and find new purpose. Acrylic paint is the primary medium of expression in this project due to its quick drying time, color intensity, and versatility in creating textures. When applied to recycled cardboard, the paint takes on a special dimension, allowing for both vibrant and luminous colors that represent moments of rebirth, as well as dark and deep tones that evoke fragility, loss, and suffering. Acrylic paint allows for the creation of layers and nuances that reflect the constant evolution of personal transformation and growth, giving dynamism to each piece. Recycled cardboard, as a support, is not only an eco-friendly alternative but also becomes a symbol of sustainability and regeneration. This material, typically considered disposable, acquires new artistic and symbolic value when transformed into the foundation of the artwork. Its use in the exhibition reinforces the idea that both life and art have the ability to rebuild, to find beauty in what has been left behind. Each piece of recycled cardboard becomes a canvas that, like the human being or the Earth, undergoes processes of wear and transformation, only to be reborn in new forms. Recycled cardboard also adds a particular texture that reinforces the sense of both fragility and resilience. As a flexible and accessible material, it allows for free and experimental treatment, aligning with the essence of the project. The layers of acrylic on the recycled cardboard evoke not only contrasts between creation and destruction but also the opportunity to give new life to what has been worn down by time. The use of recycled materials in Eternal Life goes beyond an ecological approach; it serves as a visual metaphor for the constant transformation that characterizes both nature and human existence. Through this choice, the exhibition conveys a message of hope and regeneration, showing that even what seems obsolete or consumed can be reborn, transforming into something new, valuable, and full of life.
Conclusion
Eternal Life is a proposal that, by combining art, reflection, and sensory experience, aims to offer a profound meditation on the cycles of life and the human capacity for resilience. Through acrylic painting on recycled cardboard, the exhibition invites viewers to explore the parallels between natural processes of transformation and the human experience of suffering and rebirth. As a whole, the project proposes a space where art becomes an active process of introspection, encouraging the audience to connect with the idea that, amidst adversity, there is always a path to regeneration. The project will take place in Thessaloniki, a city with a history of resistance and transformation, making it the ideal context for this reflection on the ability to renew. With an accessible structure and an inclusive approach, Eternal Life seeks to open a dialogue between visitors, art, and their own processes of change. This exhibition, with its use of recycled materials and sensory focus, also aims to promote ecological awareness, demonstrating that art not only reflects life but can also serve as a tool for transformation. In conclusion, Eternal Life is an invitation to look beyond the wear of time, to find in art the strength to heal, create, and renew, reminding us that, just like the Earth itself, we can always begin again
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