The exhibition The Inner Side of the Wind is centred on craft, or else handiwork, emphasising materiality and handmade objects.

Over the two stories of the Chryssanthopoulos Mansion, more than 70 works of art are displayed, made by 42 artists, engaging in a dialogue with the building’s distinctive atmosphere, its architecture and the remarkable murals of Aretousa’s grandfather, the 19th century folk artist Sotiris Chrysanthopoulos.

Building upon the legacy of Chrysanthopoulos and his family (the three sisters had converted the house into an informal embroidery workshop), the exhibition includes works by self-taught artists, such as the tapestries of Stathis Katsarelis and a portable icon (“Landscape of a meadow of Thessaly”) by the folk painter Athanasios Pagonis (1820-1884). The participation of architect Dionysis Satovikis attempts a conversation with Alexandros Rodakis (1854-c.1927) and his famous house in Mesagros, Aegina. In addition, contemporary artists, such as Penny Gkeka, Ria Dama, Christina Mitrentse and Sofia Simaki, have created works especially for the exhibition, drawing inspiration from objects in Chrysanthopoulos’ house, embroideries by my grandmother, Marika Marinou (1906-2004), and the cultural history of Kymi.  The exhibition brings the work of eminent ceramic artist Maria Voyatzoglou and the tapestries of Niki Kanagini back onto centre stage, while at the same time, casting a light upon the painting of the monk Nikodimos and the architect Takis Terzopoulos. Distinctive in the exhibition is also the presence of the AFI Collective; striking a balance between the visual and applied arts, and persisting on a slow, manual construction of works, they have been setting their own course since 1979.

Sotiris Chrysanthopoulos was a renaissance artist, a modern-day Robinson Crusoe. Born in Versova (present day Chrysanthio) in the prefecture of Achaia, he settled in Kymi in the mid-19th century. He married Maria Thalassinou and built their two-storey home in the village of Pyrgos, where his wife originated from. Next to his house, using stones from the Venetian fortress, he built the church of the Birth of the Mother of God. A self-taught artist, he engaged with ecclesiastical art, painting, sculpture, and woodcarving, while also working as a doctor. He decorated his mansion with murals of himself and members of his family, and constructed the furniture, doors and ceilings of the house, the well in the yard, and sculptures adorning the outer walls. He died around 1900. His son, Konstantinos, was also an icon painter. In 1991, his granddaughter, Aretousa Chrysanthopoulou, donated the mansion to the Educational and Cultural Association of Kymi, to be used as a museum.

Participating artists | Nikos Alexiou, ΑΦΗ Collective (Judith Allen-Efstathiou, Inger Carlsson, Maria Grigoriou, Despina Pantazopoulou, Yiannis Papadopoulos, Eva Cheiladaki, Theodora Chorafas), Constantia Vlachidou, Maria Voyatzoglou, Vasso Gavaisse, Penny Gkeka, Ria Dama, Yiannis Theodoropoulos, Niki Kanagini, Stathis Katsarelis, Katerina Katsifaraki, Panagiotis Koulouras, Eleni Krikki, Alexandros Laios, Vasiliki Lefkaditi , Andreas Lolis, Dimitris Merantzas, Christina Mitrentse, Margarita Bofiliou, Monk Nikodimos , Myrto Xanthopoulou,  Athanasios Pagonis, Ilias Papailiakis, Rena Papaspyrou,  Natassa Poulantza, Argiris Rallias, Kostas Roussakis, Sofia Simaki, Vassilis Skylakos, Dionysis Sotovikis, Takis Terzopoulos, Thanasis Totsikas, Nikos Tranos, Giorgos Tsakiris, Alekos Fassianos, Maro Fasouli

The exhibition The Inner Side of the Wind is supported by NEON through its annual Grants Scheme.