“Nymphs”
17.10 – 9.11/2019
Gallery Skoufa presents Panos Kokkalis’ solo painting exhibition, entitled “Nymphs” on Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 pm. The exhibition will run until November 9, 2019.
The new solo exhibition of Panos Kokkalis, taking as a departure point, the connection of the ancient mythology of nymphs and the primeval practices of dower and arranged marriage with the folk traditions of wedding ceremonies and the contemporary condition of wedding and its relation to social stereotypes and inherent systems. Τhe contemporary term «bride»,(in Greek: νύφη/nifi) terminologically comes from nymphs, female creatures which incarnate the natural elements of the world, and survived as fairies in the old folk stories. Τhe semiotics of the term, and the framing of the condition of wedding in the wide cultural and anthropological spectrum, are the core issues of the new body of painting works by Panos Kokkalis.
The painter employs a plethora of materials and techniques, from oils, pencils, acrylics, charcoal, to collage, stencil, pva, laces and mec art techniques. The female figures, as long aged nymphs, and contemporary brides at the same time, depicted in front of mirrors, holding bouquets, wearing wedding cloaks, while unfolding a cosmos of feelings.
Giving an emphasis on the sketch, especially in the drawing of the masterly embroideries, the paintings exude a ritualistic induction in the world of female thoughts and sentiments. The jewelry, the fanciful patterns of the lacework, the lines as successive crewels, all of them, contribute to the narrative of female stories about maternity, sexuality, desires and multiple forms of oppression.
text: Dora Vasilakou
