This contemporary art exhibition The Palace at 4 a.m. is inspired by the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos. The show takes its title from an iconic work by Alberto Giacometti. The Palace at 4 a.m. is a small wooden sculpture he created in 1932; like a theatre it features a dramatic encounter between a woman, a bird and a spinal column. Presiding over these protagonists is a totemic entity. The scene is a palace before sunrise, a time of dreams, ghosts and secret assignations.

The exhibition draws on the strange drama of Giacometti’s masterpiece to evoke the spirits, rituals and myths that haunt ancient archaeological sites such as Delos. Its statues, architectural fragments, vessels and tombstones have been collected in the museum, attributes of a cosmopolitan citizenry that disappeared two millennia ago.

Just as Delos once brought together people from across the ancient world, The Palace at 4 a.m. features a global roster of thirteen artists. Their work is juxtaposed with the museum’s collection and additional treasures selected by the archaeologists of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades. Giving contemporary form to ancient materials and symbols, the artists reveal commonalities that span millennia, cultures and continents.

The Palace at 4 a.m. is organized and commissioned by NEON and presented in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades.