An artistic encounter between Greece and France which explores the traces of Aphrodite's birth
The Hellenic American Union, in collaboration with the French Institute of Greece, the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), the Beaux-Arts de Marseille (Marseille School of Art and Design) and Voyons Voir, is presenting the group exhibition, “In the Wake of Aphrodite: Navigating, Swimming, Drawing,” featuring works by Dominique Castell, Chloé Paré and Clare Poolman. The exhibition, is curated by art historian Louisa Karapidaki.
Between June 2023 and June 2024, Dominique Castell paid several visits to the island of Kythira, tracing Aphrodite’s birth. Inspired by these visits she created a series of works that are now exhibited at 21 bis Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence. In an effort to expand on her work, Voyons Voir collaborated with the Schools of Fine Arts in Marseille and Athens, as well as with the French Institute of Greece, in order to organize a cross-residency between Greece and France for two graduates of the art schools. Creating a platform for communication and networking, the program aims to establish a meaningful dialog between French and Greek artists, starting with the experience of their artistic residency.
In 2024, artists Chloé Paré and Clare Poolman were selected to participate in the one-month parallel artistic residency program in Marseille and Rhodes, respectively. Chloé Paré, who is in residence with 'voyons voir art contemporain et territoire,' transcribes stellar and sensory objects, experiences, and apparatuses grounded in Marseille. Meanwhile, Clare Poolman explores unfolding lines, letters, and mappings in light of her encounters with Rhodes.
As the curator of the exhibition notes: “The project relates to a wide range of conceptual references revolving around the symbolisms of the goddess Aphrodite and the island of Kythira and has been rendered with sensibility by the three artists, each with her own aesthetics of contemporary creative expression and through a variety of artistic idioms."
