“Ecofeminisms Today: Promiscuous Entanglements” and ‍”The Room with the Cuckoo Clock”: new exhibitions at Callirrhoë Gallery

Double opening | Ecofeminisms Today & Valentina Bartolini

Ecofeminisms Today: Promiscuous Entanglements

Ecofeminisms Today: Promiscuous Entanglements brings together a constellation of artistic practices that intersect ecological and feminist concerns, challenging the spatial, cultural, and gendered hierarchies that shape both human and more-than-human lives. This exhibition foregrounds the complex positionalities of women artists from disparate geographies—including the Global South, the Mediterranean and  the Levant—each of whom navigates multiple, layered identities. Their works reflect the ways in which bodies, territories, and identities are always entangled, negotiating spaces marked by power, violence and environmental devastation.

Moreover, the exhibition invites visitors to shift their attention from the Anthropocene to the Hydrocene, as coined by Australian-Swedish scholar and curator Dr. Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris. It is a delicate task that emphasizes the power of water rather than humans, thus challenging the dominant narrative. The artists in this exhibition use water to reflect on themes of nourishment, transformation, resilience and resistance, challenging patriarchal systems that seek to control natural resources and women’s bodies alike.

The term ‘promiscuity’ is playfully appropriated in this context to represent the rich, interwoven, and non-linear narratives embodied by ecofeminist art. In an effort to resist categorization and control, the exhibition highlights the corporeal and lived experiences embedded in these works.

With works by Maria Antelman, Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, Betsy Damon, Regina José Galindo, Camille Pradon and Chloé Royer; curated by Eleni Riga

‍The Room with the Cuckoo Clock | Valentina Bartolini

In a complementary narrative, Valentina Bartolini’s presentation within the framework of “One Work Show Series” features paper works and sculptures focusing on themes of home, origin and childhood, reflecting on her memories of Perugia, Italy, her father’s hometown. Inspired by inherited family heirlooms, Bartolini recalls a geographically dichotomized past between Italy and Greece.

Deep terracotta shades in her work draw influence from Etruscan culture’s emphasis on thermal springs and lakes with healing properties. Handcrafted papers, made from Bhutanese lokta, showcase a distinctive texture, varied sizes, and a muted earth color palette reminiscent of medieval gates. Historically used in calligraphy and woodblock printing in local monasteries, these papers contribute to the rich layers of Bartolini’s artistic expression. 

About Callirrhoë

Callirrhoë serves as a gallery for contemporary art, blending elements of an art association to foster connections between art and society. It provides a platform for artists, thinkers, and all those engaged in current discourses, addressing questions that arise in our rapidly changing era. Exhibitions are curated around these themes, aiming to deepen our understanding of art’s impact on society and its role in shaping collective consciousness and memory. The space not only showcases group exhibitions focused on these issues but also features solo exhibitions by emerging Greek contemporary artists, with the broader ambition to promote Greek art internationally through collaborations abroad.

The name “Callirrhoë,” derived from Greek roots meaning “beautiful flow,” reflects the natural outpouring of artistic expression and ideas that the space seeks to cultivate. The space was founded in November 2020, is run by Olympia Tzortzi.