
Steven Antonakos work Remembrance will be part of the group exhibition Its empties, it fills, the light at the Β. & M. Theocharakis Foundation, from November 20th, 2024 to Febraury 16th, 2025.
The artists participating in the exhibition, through installations, painting, sculpture, and photography, explore the conceptual references of light—from its metaphysical dimension to its plastic qualities, as well as its everyday presence—from the 1960s to today.
The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to understand how light transforms from a natural phenomenon into a medium of artistic practice. At the same time, it honors the timeless influence of artists such as Takis, Antonakos, Chryssa, Bouteas, Lappas, as well as Apostolou, Gerasimos, Efeoglou, Karakostanoglou, Kontis, Laskari, Nikolakopoulos, Patsourakis, Sagonas, Touliatos, Charitonidis, and Hasapis.
From antiquity to the present day, the sun has captivated creators. Since the early 1960s, neon light has emerged as an expressive medium for many artists across America and Europe. Figures such as James Rosenquist, Robert Walls, Victor Vasarely, Lucio Fontana, James Turrell, Robert Irwin, Doug Wheeler, and Dan Flavin, among others, have shaped the identity of contemporary art with their distinct styles and continuous transformations.
As Takis Mavrotas notes in the exhibition catalogue: "Light remains the unparalleled cause and inspiration of art, as the visual artist continues to make the invisible visible and the intangible perceptible, revealing their vision."
“When light empties and fills again," a phrase often repeated by Panos Giannikopoulos during the preparation of this thematic exhibition, encapsulates the meeting point of established and emerging artists. This intersection prioritizes the expressive power of light—natural or artificial—offering an aesthetic journey into the possible or the impossible.
Exhibition Curators: Takis Mavrotas, Panos Giannikopoulos
Production Management: Marina Miliou Theocharaki
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Stephen Antonakos, Remembrance, 1987-1989, installation. The work consists of four parts: Untitled (for my brother Bill) , Neon, aluminium foil on wood, 91.44 x 91.44 x 10.16 cm. Untitled (for my brother Tony), Neon, gold foil on wood, 91.44 x 91.44 x 10.16 cm . Untitled (for my brother Peter), Neon, gold foil on wood , 91.44 x 91.44 x 10.16 cm . Untitled (for my sister Kanella), Neon, aluminium foil on wood, 91.44 x 91.44 x 10.16 cm.