The Municipality of Athens presents the solo exhibition «Burning Issues – Merimbula» by the distinguished artist Danae Stratou. Organised by the City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organisation (OPANDA), the exhibition will be hosted at the City of Athens Art Centre from 25 May to 10 July 2022.
Titled “Burning Issues – Merimbula,” the show consists of two installations which dramatically transform the Arts Centre. Stratou constructs an immersive environment, highlighting fire, its symbolism and destructive consequences. Visitors enter a space of spiritual awakening, cleansing and purification. This exhibition by Stratou, who is internationally renowned for her sophisticated large-scale installations, speaks to pressing issues of our time – the urgency of developing environmental awareness and strengthening environmental responsibility.
The two key features in Danae Stratou’s exhibition are a healthy forest, in one installation, and a video of a sheet of paper burning incessantly at a very slow pace in the other.
Australia’s forests engender a rich symbolism related to the contradictions of modern human society. The Merimbula Forest is a coastal area in south-eastern New South Wales that in 2019 was destroyed by unprecedented forest fires, sparking a heated debate about climate change among communities that had previously refused it. The photographs featured in the installation were taken by the artist in 2010, along with recordings of Australian bell magpies, which have now turned silent.