Municipal Art Gallery of Corinth

The Municipal Art Gallery of Corinth was established in September 1998 and forms part of the Municipality of Corinth’s cultural institutions. Housed in a municipal building, the Gallery preserves and presents an important collection of more than 250 works spanning several centuries, with works dating as far back as 1567. Its collections were formed principally through significant donations from Corinthian collectors and artists, including Sotirios Pilarinos, Nikolaos Theodorou, and Theodoros Markellos. Among the works are paintings by distinguished Greek artists, including Roilos, Spyropoulos, Stathopoulos, and Fassianos, alongside works by notable European artists.

Beyond its permanent collections, the Gallery serves as an active cultural and educational centre, presenting temporary exhibitions by contemporary Greek and international artists and providing a space for engagement with the visual arts. Its programme also extends to educational activities, seminars, and outreach initiatives addressed to a broad range of audiences, including students, educators, artists, art enthusiasts, and community groups. In this way, the Municipal Art Gallery of Corinth functions not only as a repository for artistic heritage, but also as a contemporary platform connecting the artistic history of Corinth with current artistic practice and public cultural life.

ΚALOPSIA

(May 07 - 31, 2023)

Our era, more than any other historical period, provides us with the freedom to transcend boundaries, to explore, and to define our individuality beyond and above social norms, conventions, and other forms of heteronomy. In this exhibition, I use human figures as a means of exploring personal identity and, more specifically, how the cohesive interrelationship, interaction, and interplay between mind and body forge and shape our individuality and personality.

The multidimensional process through which body and spirit struggle against one another or complement each other in a dynamic balance of continual transformation is conveyed through the dual symbolism of the figurative elements, distinguished by differences in technique, material, and artistic treatment. The figures rendered in charcoal represent the physical body, with all its strengths and inherent limitations, while the forms covered with figurative woodblock-print motifs symbolize the limitless inner essence of human existence, upon which lived experiences, memories, emotions, and personal histories are inscribed. Furthermore, the variation and differentiation of the portrait, resembling an overlaid mask, visually and conceptually suggests the blurred ambiguity between the real and the ideal.

The figurative elements in my work are aesthetically influenced by ancient Greek art, whose philosophy is rooted in ideals of perfection. In ancient Greece, perfection as a value in itself centred on the ideal balance between body and mind, both regarded as divine gifts bestowed upon mortals. My works, however, challenge this archetypal ideal of perfection by juxtaposing it with the imperfections we carry, both internally and externally. As we grow, mature, and continually encounter new experiences, we should remember to accept, appreciate, and love our imperfections, because these inherent and heterogeneous qualities bear witness to our long existence on Earth, record our experiences, and authentically contribute to shaping our personality and individuality. Ultimately, it is these imperfections that make us unique and distinct.

Chrysanthe Maggidis
Solo Exhibition

Welcome

Kalopsia can operate on two levels: the idealized perception of the human body and the reality of the imperfect body. Your work essentially asks whether beauty lies in conforming to an ideal of perfection, or whether the imperfections, experiences, scars, and changes that make each body unique are themselves part of what makes it beautiful.

View Exhibition Cataloge