For registration, please refer to the Information Desk at the Museum entrance on the same day. First-in first-served.

The exhibition refers to the history of a monastic complex (a fortified monastery) of unique historical, architectural and cultural significance dating back to the 13th century. This complex dominates a secluded corner of the Ionian Sea, a small island – just one-third the length of a typical airport runway. It is the islet of Stamfani in the Strofades complex. Despite its diminutive size, the island has a unique history and preserves rich flora and fauna, thank to its remarkable geological features.

Today, this monumental complex poses a huge challenge for Greece. Decisions must be taken promptly. The monastery is in critical condition, with an urgent need for restoration after two catastrophic earthquakes. The next one could spell the end of it. The island has strong links with St Dionysios, who served as a monk starting in 1568 and at his request was buried there. But in 1717 his relics and the seat of the monastery were “temporarily” transferred to neighboring Zakynthos after the monks were slaughtered during a brutal raid.

Could the complex come to life again as a functioning monastery?

Photographs selected by Robert McCabe and research by a team of experts organized by Katerina Lymperopoulou bring the island and its issues to life. The exhibition is in a sense a tribute to the last monk of the Strofades, who maintained the complex basically alone for almost 38 years and was a compelling but lonely voice for its restoration. In addition to Stamfani’s human history the exhibition will illuminate its remarkable and unexpected rôle in the natural world as an important migratory bird station and the site of one of the most significant forests in western Greece.

The Anthropocene (/ænˈθrɒp.əˌsiːn) was popularised as an environmental term at the dawn of the 21st century by Paul Crutzen, the Dutch Nobel laureate and pioneer on atmospheric chemistry; it constitutes a proposed geological epoch that starts with the beginning of the first important human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including climate change caused by human activity.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation officially declared the outbreak of a new virus, under the name covid-19, a pandemic. The invisible threat has taken its toll on human life and safety, as well as global economy and collective action, forcing isolation or restricted access to public areas as precautionary measures. Vacant, desolate streets and cities in the midst of social distress, financial uncertainty and climate crisis, echo the urban void and the urgency to remain vigilant and socially alert.

During the unsettling times of a global pandemic and national lockdowns, which seem to have emerged out of dystopic fiction, what does it mean for earth and the anthropocene to remain on hold? Which are the challenges and the environmental concerns that are raised for an artist? How can social distancing and quarantine reshape artistic practices and environmental narratives? In which ways can covid-19 impact environmental crisis and our general perception of the issue?

In response to this unprecedented and urgent situation and its toll on the planet’s well-being and safety, PCAI, on the occasion of the Anthropocene On Hold exhibition, has invited 20 international visual artists to address the gravity of a global pandemic and its impact on art engagement and production as well as earth’s resilience and sustainability. James Bridle, Ionian Bisai & Sotiris Tsiganos, Matthias Fritsch, Kyriaki Goni, Markus Hanakam & Roswitha Schuller, Hypercomf, Rindon Johnson, Evi Kalogiropoulou, Lito Kattou, Bianca Kennedy and the Swan Collective, Marcin Liminowicz & Trang Ha, Charly Nijensohn, Kosmas Nikolaou, Ira Schneider, Andrew Norman Wilson participate with new works in PCAI’s first online group exhibition curated by Kika Kyriakakou; an ongoing digital project that will be hosted on PCAI’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/channel/UCKThYXergdup6X4g6ndTC2w) from May 14 to December 31, 2020.

MORE ABOUT PCAI

Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative (PCAI), was founded in 2014 by Athanasios Polychronopoulos, Polyeco Group Executive Chairman, as a means to increase environmental awareness through contemporary art and video. The organisation implements its objectives though three areas of activity: its mainly commissioned-based Art Collection, its Projects and its Support. Since 2018 PCAI has been a member of the International Association of Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art IACCCA and it has been awarded for its art projects, educational programs and partnerships on many occasions. Kika Kyriakakou, PCAI’s Artistic Director, initiated in 2019 through an open call the organisation’s artist-in-residence programme focusing on the interaction between contemporary art and environmental consciousness. The selection committee, consisting of Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Galleries Artistic Director, Krist Gruijthuijsen, KW Institute for Contemporary Art Director, and the PCAI Directors, chose artists Rindon Johnson and Lito Kattou to participate in the residency programme taking place in 2020.