Life takes strange turns. When artist Yiannis Kontaratos was preparing a block of works on the theme of loss and the epitaph of lamentation to be presented at the National Library at SNFCC as we approached Easter, it did not occur to him that it would be dedicated to the memory of CEO Philippos Tziboglu. Young and blooming, the last one died unexpectedly some time ago. What is, of course, even more difficult is that the inauguration coincided with a great national tragedy in Tempe with dozens of deaths. So while all other events this week have been postponed, this single event has been “open” to the public as its theme is exactly what all Greeks are feeling in our souls these days: mourning.

A solo exhibition curated by Nikos Paisios is presented in the Multiple Display Room on the 2nd floor and is titled “Epitaphios Thrynos – Nine Variations” with the same number of the artist’s compositions. Kontaratos draws inspiration from an inexhaustible supply of religious iconography, infusing the sacred with a secular approach. It features pairs of large-sized paintings and medium-sized drawings. The works were created during the three-year period 2019-2021 and are inspired by a fresco that Giotto painted in the Arena Chapel in Padua, as well as a drawing that Ingres made a few days before his death, copying a reproduction of a previous one located in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Turning the collective sacred experience of loss into a personal one, Kontaratos chose only two or three female figures covering or leaning over the motionless body of Christ, and integrated them into a single color background, each time in different poses, with fragmentary prints. the limbs of the Dead among them. The atmosphere at the opening, which took place on March 1, was especially emotional due to the days and the aura that this special exhibition exudes.

“The tribute, which opens tonight, has taken on a completely different character,” said EBE head Stavros Zumbulakis. “In discussing the topic of individuality with Philippos Zieboglou, who immediately said yes to the idea because he was a yes man, none of us imagined that ultimately it would be about the grief of his own death. The library has not yet recovered from his unexpected death. In his face, he lost the kindest soul that served this position. Today, many events are canceled due to the accident in Tempe. There was no reason to delay ours. Against. Mourning has been added to mourning, and the works of Kontaratos “picturely converse” with the leading lament of history, the lament of the Virgin Mary for Christ. Duration up to 30/4.