The works of Abraham Pavlidis act as messages for future generations of a past that is disappearing before our eyes. Few of the fragments of this Greek reality continue to survive in the frenetic pace of our times. There still exist, however, a few guardians/ occupants of the country’s “forgotten” villages who appear to unconsciously protect a world that finds itself near its end. End? Perhaps, now, there is a tendency to return to that rural fragment of Greece’s history? The remains of Greece’s rural tradition are recorded in vivid detail in The Last Glance, Pavlidis’ most recent work, and will be on display in this exhibition. The images present an archaeological view of objects, spaces, and often abandoned structures. Pavlidis’ expert use of lighting give the objects and spaces recorded in his images an added element of drama.
Today a space that remains closed and inactive over several decades, a space that over the past centuries was full of life and memories, is again opening its doors in order to admit Abraham Pavlidis’ images of memory and history. Though these photographs appear to describe an ending, through this exhibition, they point to a new beginning for a distinctive building in the outskirts of Athens, in a town that was once part of Greece’s rural tradition.
Curated by: Ioanna Vasdeki, Jeff Vanderpool
Place:The Long Room
Duration: 26/11–19/12/10
Hours: Fr-Su 14.00-20.00