Angelos: Let There Be Light
An immersive retrospective exhibition of renowned Greek artist addresses the decay of society and spiritual wealth
Opens Saturday 28 April 2018 at The Hellenic Centre in London.
A disgusting scent is arising to the atmosphere. It is the smell of a dying civilization. I suspect people are tired of being rational. Tired of natural rhythms, tired of natural beauty, which is why they are destroying the planet…. They’re tired of being simple, tired of being people. In an era of unreadiness, in an age of absurdity, there’s not enough time left for us to appreciate the majesty and beauty of life and of a jaw-dropping world which elicits nothing but awe and admiration and which, of all its creatures, only Man is fortunate enough to be aware of. Despite that, Man is moving into a new but different Dark Age, more contemporary, and we all bare our share of the responsibility. – Angelos
Through a stunning new exhibition, Let There be Light, featuring the work of Angelos, the founders of maca.space, Maridia Kafetzopoulou and Constantine Lemos, aim to communicate the mysteries of the universe, that in which Light and Darkness, Destruction and Regeneration exist in permanent juxtaposition. They believe that just as humans lose their sense of orientation in darkness and naturally look for a light to guide them, this message is delivered in the paintings of the renowned Greek artist.
“Through Let There Be Light we are given the chance to bring together two very important Greek creators in the heart of London to project messages that modern Man has the need to hear. We believe the aim of this exhibition is to restore the forgotten sensibilities and values that modern civilization has with such disrespect removed from our soul. More than ever it is the duty of Art in any form, to re-energize our lost values, so that we can once again reclaim our dignity” say the curators of the exhibition Maridia Kafetzopoulou and Constantine Lemos.
Through the paintings, the guidance of light touches on the essence of human existence, re-establishes the balance between reality and feeling, and invites the viewer to a spiritual quickening – as visionaries looking ahead to a new humanistic, honest and hopeful world. The painting’s subtle flourishes are a lyrical message from the artist to the viewer: In this age of stress and ‘political utopia’, self-awareness is the route to eternal purity. His art is given over to the light of optimism, which makes his colours brighter and transforms darkness into an ecstatic night.
Two key works in the show that perfectly encapsulate this sense of light, darkness and hope are Year 2118 and Physical and Spiritual Dimension of Light. In 2017, Angelos’ painting Girl with a pair of doves sold at Bonhams for over £106,000 (over its estimate of £12,000) in London. This is the artist’s first solo show in London in over two decades.
Using art to challenge our modern culture and society, Angelos creates images of the everyday in space, creating an arena void of context and distraction, something rife in our technology driven society, full of things that demand and detract our attention. Angelos believes that the responsibility of art is to heal society from a brutal reality. Using imagery of an infinite cosmos, hyperrealist and decadent still-lifes sit atop rich fabrics, hovering against a milieu of sparkling stars, influenced in part by readings in philosophy as an expression of the artist’s vision of the relationship between all things.
Exclusively for the exhibition, Angelos’s constellation of paintings have been carefully paired with individual compositions by the prominent Greek composer Stamatis Spanoudakis, providing a rich and emotional density to the works. The conjoined forces of the music and art, by two renowned masters, together deliver a fully immersive, cinematic experience.
Exploring the last twenty years of Angelos’ practice, Let There Be Light brings together a selection of illuminated subjects, cast against a vast galactic backdrop providing an immersive and topical exhibition for our times.
Let There Be Light will be in the Great Hall of The Hellenic Centre, the exhibition will run from Saturday 28th April to Tuesday 8th May 2018.
Corporate Sponsor: Lancaster Private Equity
Media Sponsor: Kathimerini, The New York Times International Edition – Kathimerini English Edition, All About Shipping, SKAI
Honorary Sponsor: Ilias Lalaounis, Friends of Municipal Theatre of Piraeus
Curation & Exhibition Design: maca.space
Private View: Friday 27 April, 18.00 – 21.00 Please RSVP to info@maca.space
Angelos: Let There Be Light
Saturday 28th April – Tuesday 8th May 2018
The Great Hall, The Hellenic Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, London W1U 5AS
Opening hours
Monday – Friday 10:00 – 20:00*
Saturday – Sunday 11:00 – 16:00
*Bank Holiday Monday 7th May
11:00 – 16:00
https://maca.space
Press please contact Damson Communications: Ralph Barker on 0207 812 0645 or ralph.barker@damsonpr.com
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Angelos Panagiotou was born in Farkadona near Trikala in Central Greece in 1943. Having studied Painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1962-67) under professor G. Mavroidis, he continued his education on numerous trips to European museum, where he studied both the Great Masters of the past and the latest trends in Western Art. Setting his super-realistic and specific depictions of favoured themes – still lifes, landscapes, nesting doves –within backdrops of the starry cosmos, Angelos expresses his vision of the relationship of all things. The poignancy of his choice of subjects is contrasted with the great unknown that lies beyond, Angelos encapsulating his philosophical musings in highly visual, skilfully rendered and accessible forms.
The Curators – Maridia Kafetzopoulou and Constantine Lemos
Lemos and Kafetzopoulou are founders of maca.space. Graduating from the prominent Architectural Association School of Architecture in London with honours and distinction, Lemos and Kafetzopoulou have worked with the New Museum in New York and the UNHCR in Lesvos, Zaha Hadid Architects, Anouska Hempel, Falconer Chester Hall, ACME London.
This is their first collaboration as curators. Maca.Space will be responsible for the execution of the exhibition design, and acting as the reflection of Angelos’s work, aiming to “turn the space into art rather than placing art into space.” The exhibition will bring together skills learnt in the architectural field and seeks to examine how a space itself can be viewed as an extension of the artwork.
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Uploaded: 23 January 2018 5;48 pm
Updated: 30 March 2018 1:00 pm
