The resonance of the Greek War of Independence in the art of today

As part of the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821, the Foundation for the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Modern History of Macedonia in cooperation with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki organized an art exhibition at the Museum, entitled “The resonance of the Greek War of Independence in the art of today”, the opening of which took place on Saturday, June 5.

The art arrangements presented in the exhibition are the result of the art competition co-organised by the two institutions from December 2020 to May 2021 and can be divided into four categories: works that link the present with the past, works that relate to "scenes of the Struggle", works on the theme of the “dying hero” and works that represent the suffering of war. Among the works that competed, the jury, consisting of cultured people in the fields of letters and arts, singled out the sculpture”Untitled” by Mrs. Vasiliki Karakosta, which received the first prize, the second prize went to “Greece in the ruins of…” by Mr. Nektarios Pachiadakis, while the third place went to the ready-made “Memories” by Mr. Konstantinos Giannakoulas. In addition, positive impressions were made by the creations “Kypseli” by Anna Botou and “The Wise Earth highlights free Greece” by Paraskevi Yiapanis, receiving first and second praise respectively.

The opening of the art exhibition was attended by the Rector of AUTH, Professor Nikolaos Papaioannou, the Members of Parliament Mr. Konstantinos Gkioulekas, Dimitris Kouvelas, Stratos Simopoulos, the Mayor of Thessaloniki Mr. Konstantinos Zervas, the Deputy Mayor of Education Ms. Ioanna Kosmopoulou, the President of IMMA, Mr. Nikolaos Margaropoulos, Mr. Socrates Doris, Managing Director of the Centre of Culture of the Region of Central Macedonia, members of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, as well as professors of the city’s university institutions.

In his greeting, the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki stated: “Today’s event is one of the most special that we have the pleasure to organize as the Aristotle University in cooperation with the always active Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, because we came to honor those whom, as a Higher Educational Institution, we primarily represent: our own students. The compositions of the almost fifty participants in the exhibition are the most faithful testimony of the ferment that has been taking place at our University throughout this difficult period of the pandemic, and which can now be expressed in their physical venue in the appropriate way. As the title of the exhibition articulately emphasizes, what we will see “echoes” the Struggle of 21. It is here where “intangible” memory is reflected as a tangible impression. And at the same time our collective memory and our national identity imaginatively meets with the most important cross-section of Modern Greek History. It is a retrospective look into the past as well as a glimpse into the future, as we are given a rare opportunity to see how the younger generation, our own children, reflect on the ancestral struggles of our homeland.

The President of the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Mr. Nikolaos Margaropoulos, stressed the duty of the Foundation to be a communicator of new ideas in the field of culture and to highlight them in the best possible way, always with respect to both the work and the creator. It is a bet of the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and Modern History of Macedonia, always in close cooperation with major academic institutions, such as the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, to continue to support every initiative that strengthens and promotes the history and cultural life of Thessaloniki and Macedonia in general.

On behalf of the AUTH Committee for the 1821 anniversary celebrations, the Professor of Law School, Mr. Panagiotis Glavinis said: “We are very happy today that we managed to encourage such a relatively large number of our students to participate with their works in this particular competition. Because, from the beginning of the events, we have not been able to mobilise our students in the way and to the extent we wanted to in the ten events we have arranged so far, due to the known conditions imposed by the pandemic. So to see so many children today experiencing the Greek Revolution with their creations is a very hopeful sign of the effect of the National Revolution on the souls and minds of our children”.

At the other end of spectrum, the Director of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Art Historian, Mrs. Fani Tsatsaia explained that students and graduates of recent years from all faculties of AUTH could take part in the competition and stressed that the participation was particularly impressive in the time of the pandemic when access to materials was very restricted, as 48 works of paintings, sculptures, installations, video art, some following realistic painting and others inspired by cubism and symbolism arrived at the Museum, all of which are exhibited in the Alexandros Haitoglou Hall of the Museum. Ms.Tsatsaia continued by saying that the dialogue between the past and the present, as articulated in the artworks of the participants, updates basic concepts of Greek culture, such as freedom, the agonistic spirit and the dedication to the apparently impossible.

Concluding, Mrs.Stavroula Mavrogeni, Associate Professor, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, UOM, Director of the Research Centre for Macedonian History and Documentation and Secretary General of IMMA said: “Historical painting in Greece was called upon to defend the ideological role that could form the national consciousness of the new Greek state. 200 years later and through the eyes of young people, the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle presents the new aspect of the concept of REVOLUTION. The greatness of Greek society is its rebirth after the difficulties and adversities of our time. The artistic memory restores the vision of the struggles in a realistic way and with a deep knowledge of the concept of "sacrifice". This makes each of the works in the exhibition unique, modern, direct and with a ritualistic and dynamic style”.