June 2020

On the corner of Aiolou and Kolokotroni St in downtown Athens, a series of empty shop windows that are part of a University of Athens building have been transformed into a temporary gallery showcasing the work of local artists. Organised by Konstantinos Besios, the showcase is currently hosting works by visual artist Dionisios Pappas inspired by his background in archaeology. Fascinated by how the past is being interpreted in the presence and questioning the hegemony

The seminal book History of the Art of Antiquity (1764) by Johann Joachim Winckelmann, marked a radical shift in the Western world's perception on ancient Greek art. Its glorification of Classical antiquity sparked off Neoclassicism and irrevocably redefined our conception of our past. Disregarding the fact that ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were originally painted with bright colors, Winckelmann argued that white marble represents the unblemished beauty and absolute truth, influencing a great number of