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Greek Art Exhibition Year of Greece in China Begins

When I first encountered the works of the Classical Memories in Modern Greek Art exhibition—on show at the Capital Museum in Beijing through November 16—it was through words, and they struck a chord in me that I think will resonate with others.

Like China, Greece has a long history and has made important contributions to the development of mankind. The Greek people's cultural inheritance cannot be avoided: it is a rich legacy that contributes to who the Greeks are today and that underlies nearly every aspect of western thought. Yet, history can also be a burden, one not to be taken lightly.

This is true, as well, in China, where once again we see discussions of "Chinese essence" (guocui or the quintessence of national culture) being discussed on newspaper and magazine cultural pages. It is a human dilemma of modern times that we find tension in any effort to balance a healthy respect for the past with the need for modern development and social change. Perhaps no other city in the world than Beijing has so much to win or lose in finding a proper balance in its response to this historical challenge.

This reality is posed in Marina Lambraki-Plaza's piece in the exhibition's excellent catalogue (available in Greek, Chinese and English) where she quotes a poem (Mythistorema III) by Nobel Prize-winning poet George Seferis:

                 I awoke with this marble head

                            in my hands

        exhausting my elbows and I don't know

                      where to put it down

The Classical Memories in Modern Greek Art shows how modern and contemporary Greek artists have approached their cultural legacy in their works. Anyone who has visited Beijing’s contemporary art galleries or art symposia recently will easily understand the feeling. In this light, the exhibition may be more important than the sum of the works shown, which are excellent in any case.

The show is also of importance to the Greek community in Beijing.

Yiannis Exarchos, a senior executive officer with the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Company, Limited, pointed to the surrealist works of Nikos Engonopoulos (1907—85), who introduced surrealism to Greece, and said: "This was one of the great surrealist painters. I am so proud that the people of Beijing will have an opportunity to see this work of someone from my country."

Hundreds of people attended the show's opening, and they lingered long in the gallery.

It's a show worth seeing, but also, perhaps more importantly, worth thinking about.