“In Praise of Shadows”: A Dialogue Between Two Literary Worlds
“What we have already lost from the world of shadows, I want to try to reclaim, at least within the realm of literature. In the palace called literature, I want the eaves to be deep and the walls dark. I will push everything that catches the eye into the shadows, stripping the interiors of any unnecessary decoration.”
—Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows (translated by P. Evangelidis)
The works of this exhibition—titled after Tanizaki’s essay, In Praise of Shadows—seek to create a dialogue, a shared space, between two literary figures: Alexandros Papadiamantis and Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. Inspired by the aesthetic sensibility of the Japanese author and grounded in the oeuvre of the Greek “poet of twilight,” the artist explores a realm where words reside in an intermediate dimension, between light and darkness, in a hazy, indistinct image.
By connecting Tanizaki’s foggy ambiguity with the otherworldly nature of Papadiamantis’s characters, the artist seeks to illuminate the possibilities emerging from silence and solitude, crafting, among other things, this “other” world.
OPENING HOURS
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:00 – 20:00
- Thursday: 13:00 – 21:00 (free entrance)
- Monday: Closed
- The exhibition will be closed on 25 March
The artist Nina Papaconstantinou will conduct guided tours of the exhibition “In Praise of Shadows” for ticket holders on the following dates and times:
Saturday, January 25 | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Thursday, January 30 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 8 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Thursday, February 13 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 22 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Thursday 27/2 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday 8/3 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Thursday 13/3 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday 22/3 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Thursday 27/3, | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday29/3 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
