“Escapism” at St George Lycabettus: Art, hospitality and the escape of the senses in an exhibition where art and the experience of hospitality interact.

The new exhibition ‘Escapism’ attempts to convey this multi-dimensional notion of escape by combining art with the experience of hospitality

City light streamed in through the heavy curtains, leaving streaks of glowing light on the floor. Room 302 had that familiar, neutral atmosphere – neither familiar nor strange, an in-between world, a place where stories were written for a night or two and then lost. The eternal promise of lovers in a hotel room, the first single moment of escape I think of as I stroll through the ‘Escapism‘ exhibition at St George Lycabettus accompanied by art consultant and curator Theodora Koumoundourou, admiring one of the works that caught my eye, Olga Miliaresi Foka’s luminous sign Forever.

The new exhibition ‘Escapism’ attempts to convey this multi-dimensional notion of escape by combining art with the experience of hospitality.

I am always fascinated by hotel rooms – perhaps because of the aura of mystery that surrounds them when they are occupied, perhaps because of the stories that lie behind their closed doors. How many loves have been nestled within them? Curiosity lingers in the suspiciously quiet corridors.

This charm of hotels, where intimacy meets anonymity, has been a source of inspiration for many artists. Edward Hopper, in his iconic Hotel Room, depicts a woman sitting on the edge of a bed, lost in thought, while the room seems to emphasise her solitude. Similarly, Sophie Calle, in her series The Hotel: Room 47, observes the rooms and the subtle traces left by their occupants, as if trying to reconstruct their stories.

What is going on behind these doors? Who lives there this time? What are their habits? Does he sleep with the television on or does he prefer silence? Is he there for work or on a lonely journey? Did he leave the minibar untouched or did he indulge a little? Will he leave with nostalgia or will he count the moments until he returns to the intimacy of home?

Theodora Koumoundourou guides me through her own curatorial artistic universe, a space she has meticulously curated with care and passion at the invitation of Tonia Vassilopoulou, owner of St George Lycabettus. Each element of the exhibition holds its own place within this carefully structured narrative, where art and the experience of hospitality interact, creating a dialogue between aesthetics, memory, and space.

Elli Ioannou‘s work, part of a larger series entitled Sneak Peek, uniquely encapsulates this sense of mystery and curiosity. Nestled in soft pink fur, a small half-open doorway playfully winks at us, as if inviting us to peek through the keyhole. A piece that seems to imply secrets and untold stories, aptly positioned opposite the installation created by the curator herself.

A relaxed corner of a room unfolds in space, capturing the essence of a fleeting moment in time. A sofa, designed by architect Dionysis Sotovikis, coexists with a pair of pumps—left as if hastily abandoned by Bety Krňanska—and crystal vases, carefully selected from Paris.

“I wanted to create an art booth within the exhibition that would conceptually welcome the visitor,” Theodora Koumoundourou explains to me. The crystals, in particular, hold a personal memory from her childhood—an image she encountered time and again upon entering hotel lobbies, where their glitter and reflections seemed to foreshadow the stories that would soon unfold in the rooms.

Some of the works on display are design objects, such as Elli Ioannou‘s marble table where you can buy ‘pasta flora’, Sotiris Panousakis‘ painting with the word ‘escape’, a photo-realistic representation of a neon hotel sign in a fantasy universe, Olga Miliaresi Foka‘s luminous sign of the pause and Alexandros Douras’ metal chair in a composition with neon tubes. Others refer to organic pieces that incorporate or symbolise elements found in the hotel rooms, such as Bety Krňanska’s two works, compositions of collages, photographs and quilt fabric.

Using a variety of visual media, the artists trace escape as an act both material and conceptual: from the search for relaxation and luxury to the inner movement generated by art and imagination. Even scent – an imperceptible but defining aspect of the boutique hotel experience – has been incorporated into the curation of the exhibition, adding a holistic dimension to the sensory approach to space.

The works are placed in the bright space of the hotel, composing a crossroads of experiences, memories and sensations – a gateway to the unknown, the dreamlike and the personal. In an independent space of its own, not randomly chosen, is the unique video art of the exhibition. A rock in which the hotel itself has been built will become the ideal setting, almost mysterious for Marios Stamatis‘ work, a combination of sound, poetic text and video art. It looks like a ritual of tranquility, a meditation-like discourse that gently takes you on a journey through images, sounds, earthy colours – all of which compose a silent, almost hypnotic dialogue, where time slows down and perception opens up, leaving space for inner journeys and unseen narratives.