Hey, you’re in for a treat if you’re in Athens from April 20th to 27th! Romantso Gallery, on Anaxagora Street, is hosting an exhibition by German artist Maik Gräf titled “ZOE”, that promises to be captivating.

ZOE is an ancient Greek term that means life, and the project explores queer interpretations of ancient Greek mythology and society. Gräf’s series of photographs, taken during his art residency in Athens in 2021, focuses on the local queer community, balancing history with the present political and social state of society.

Gräf believes that Greek spiritual heritage offers a promise of a queer future and is traced in the contemplation of ancient representations of the human body. The exhibition will feature analog, black-and-white, and color photographs, with marble sculptures juxtaposed with recent portraits of members of the queer community of Athens. Gräf personally interviewed members of the community, which informed him about the current state of queer living in Athens. Discrimination, violence, injustice, but also newly acquired freedoms, solidarity, and love have balanced the view of history with the present political and social state of society.

The exhibition is curated by Konstantinos Menelaou and Maik Gräf and produced by the art platform and gallery The Queer Archive. If you’re in Athens during this time, be sure to drop by and experience this unique blend of ancient Greek art and queer culture.

The opening is on Thursday 20th April, from 7pm to 11pm, with a DJ set by Clubkid from 8pm to 11pm. The exhibition will be on display from April 21st to 26th, from 5pm to 9pm, and the closing is on Thursday 27th April from 5pm to 11pm. The closing ceremony will also feature a conversation with Maik Gräf from 7pm to 8pm and a DJ set from 8pm to 11pm.