“Ark of Logos. Art and Scripture” │ Group exhibition at the Kalamata Dance Megaron – 2026-10-18

On Sunday 18 October 2026 the group exhibition “Ark of Logos. Art and Scripture” opened in the Black Box of the Kalamata Dance Megaron, curated by the art historian Bia Papadopoulou. Thirty-two artists from Greece and the Diaspora explore the relationship between word and image in works made from 1957 to the present: paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, prints and artist’s books.

The exhibition is organised by the Artistic Sector of the Municipality of Kalamata, under its artistic director Panagiotis Lamprinidis, and produced by “FARIS”, the Kalamata Municipality Beneficiary Organisation, with the contribution of the Hellenic Diaspora Foundation and the George N. Vogiatzoglou Gallery.

At its centre are two tributes, realised with works from the Foundation’s collection. The first is devoted to Chryssa Vardea-Mavromichali (Chryssa, 1933–2013), whose family came from Mani and who began exploring writing as an artistic medium in the 1950s; the oldest work in the exhibition is hers, from the “Tablets” series of 1957. The second honours Yannis Bouteas (1941–2026), born in Kalamata, who died in January. The Trail of Time (1986), the installation with which he represented Greece at the 1990 Venice Biennale, is shown in his home town for the first time, spread across the tiers of the Black Box.

In all, the Hellenic Diaspora Foundation has lent eighteen works to the exhibition: seven by Chryssa, three by Stephen Antonakos, three by Constantin Xenakis, two by Theodoros Stamos, and one each by Steve Gianakos, Agnese Udinotti and Yannis Bouteas.

The film follows the installation of The Trail of Time on the tiers with Panagiotis Lamprinidis, a conversation with the curator Bia Papadopoulou on the eve of the opening, and her guided tour among the works. Bia Papadopoulou recalls her last telephone call with Yannis Bouteas, when she asked whether he would like to take part in the exhibition and he answered “With pleasure”. And Panagiotis Lamprinidis says of the work: “It is as if a circle closes, like a circular trail of time: eighty-five years after Yannis Bouteas was born, we have a work like this here in Kalamata.”

The exhibition runs until 8 November 2026.
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 10:00–14:00 and 18:00–21:00. Free admission.

Film – Director: Yannis Katomeris · Music: Timoleon Chatziioannou · Production: Hellenic Diaspora Foundation

Works from the Foundation’s collection: Chryssa Vardea-Mavromichali · Yannis Bouteas · Stephen Antonakos · Steve Gianakos · Constantin Xenakis · Agnese Udinotti · Theodoros Stamos