Raiment of the soul

A new exhibition has opened at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, showcasing 70 traditional costumes from the 19th century, many relating to the heroes of the Greek Revolution of 1821.

From December 20 to March 26, 2023, the museum’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery will present the exquisitely embroidered garments alongside photographs by Vangelis Kyris and artist Anatoli Georgiev, showing contemporary Greeks wearing the traditional costumes. This innovative approach, which creates an artistic “dialogue” between photography and embroidery, breathes new life into the history and tradition of Greek clothing and textile art, and its connection to the present.

The exhibition, which was originally planned for the National Historical Museum of Athens on the 200th anniversary of the Greek independence war but delayed to the Covid-19 pandemic, is under the patronage of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Instead, the exhibition, which includes costumes from mainland Greece, the islands, Crete, Cyprus, and the “lost fatherlands” of Asia Minor, marks this year’s 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922.

The 70 exhibits are arranged thematically, presenting garments belonging to historic figures, regional costumes from different parts of the Greek world, and those worn by important protagonists of the 1821 revolution. Some elements of the exhibition have already toured with the artists last year and again this year, in Kalamata, Hydra, Syros, Seoul (Korea), and, most recently, at the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna on Crete.

The complete presentation of the current exhibition takes place thanks to the support of the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation, the National Historical Museum of Athens, and the Historical Museum of Crete.

At the official opening, held yesterday at the Acropolis Museum, Mrs. Marianna Vardinoyannis, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, said that her foundation supported the initiative “with great honor and pride,” noting that the exhibition showcases the “protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.”

“These works speak to our soul, causing admiration, awe and deep emotion,” she added.

In his address, General Director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikos Stampolidis, described the costumes as “poems in textile art, crafted by the hands that embroidered them.”   

Visitors to the exhibition will also have the chance to admire two special creations that pay tribute to Greek antiquity, namely the “Lady Auxerre,” a marble statue of an Archaic kore (maiden) from Eleutherna on Crete, on display in the Louvre in Paris. Embroidered garments, adorning white marble Archaic kore from the Acropolis Museum’s own collection, pay special reference to the renowned statue’s ornamental details.

The “Raiment of the Soul” exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, during the museum’s opening hours (Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m.-8 p.m.). Visitors can find out more about the exhibition and the work of the artists, daily from noon to 3 p.m., from January 10, 2023, when organized guided tours of the exhibition will begin by appointment (Tel. +30 694.434.7573) or e-mail [email protected].

This article first appeared on Greece Is (www.greece-is.com), an English-language publishing initiative by Kathimerini.