With a special showreel, Prayers for the Rain, throughout the exhibition feat.
Babeworld x utopian_realism, Jordan Baseman, Tarek Lakhrissi, Marios Stamatis, Iria Vrettou

The independent gallery CHYPER invites A—Z to curate the first solo exhibition of Billy Klotsa in Athens, a
multidisciplinary artist whose practice combines film and painting. Titled Something Holds Me, the exhibition presents a new body of work by the artist, reimagining the myth of Icarus and transforming it into a medidation on power dynamics, desire, loss, and hope. The exhibition opens on March 20, with a sound performance by Alpha (A—Z), and will run until April 16.

Something Holds Me looks at the two protagonists, the father and the son, as symbols signifying the
limitations imposed by societal structures, and the precarity within the embrace of the familiar. The sun
becomes a symbol of desire and longing. While the traditional telling emphasizes Icarus’s impulsive nature and tragic demise, Klotsa delves deeper, questioning the foundations of the father’s cautionary wisdom.

The artist asks: What fears bind the father from reaching for the same incandescent heights?
Instead of succumbing to the traditional narrative of death, Klotsa’s Icarus endures. He confronts the weight of loss, not as an ending, but as a catalyst for transformation. From the depths of his fall, he rediscovers a defiant strength, and determination to transcend the perceived safety of the old familiar found in the embrace of the father. He turns his gaze once more towards the sun, not with reckless abandon, but with a newfound understanding of the unknown and its transformative power.

This exhibition is not simply a retelling of a myth; it is a poetic exploration of vulnerability. Through the
interplay of film and painting, Klotsa invites us to contemplate our own desires, our own fears, and our own capacity for resilience. It is a testament to the enduring power of hope, even in the face of profound loss, and a poignant reminder that the pursuit of freedom and love is a journey worth undertaking, no matter the cost.

Prayers for the Rain
You shatter me, your grip on me
A hold on me so dull it kills
You stifle me
Infectious sense of Hopelessness and prayers for rain
I suffocate, I breathe in dirt
And nowhere shines but desolate

And drab the hours all spent on killing time
Again all waiting for the rain
(The Cure)

In conversation with the works of Billy Klotsa, the exhibition features a showreel titled Prayers for the Rain,
presenting works by the artists: Babeworld x utopian_realism, Jordan Baseman, Tarek Lakhrissi, Marios
Stamatis, and Iria Vrettou. These works explore the ideas of loss, transformations and embracing of
darkness to light.

A SMALL BIO

Billy Klotsa – aka Vasiliki Antonopoulou – is a filmmaker based between London and Athens. Klotsa
obtained an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art in 2018. Klotsa’s practice ranges from film to painting with a deep interest in the emotional bonds and dynamics which emerge through the lived experiences within urban space. With themes ranging from love, loss, desire and internal conflict, the images revealed in paintings and film borrow from myth, literature, and scouted locations. These manifest in poetic narratives that choose to have faith in imagination, emotion, and the other, as a means to challenge the expected behaviors, rules, and physics framed by the built environment.

International exhibitions include institutions such as Matt’s Gallery, London, Mimosa House, London, The
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation in Athens, Artnight London, NARS
Foundation, New York and the MIX New York Queer Experimental Film Festival. Projects have been
supported by Arts Council England, and featured in ACNE Paper, Frieze Review, and the Queer Direct
Publication, amongst others.

Anne Duffau is a cultural producer, researcher, and founder of A—Z, an exploratory/nomadic curatorial
platform. A—Z aims to open up to audiences by sharing discursive practices in order to challenge
preconceived ideas about race, gender identities and so-called history in terms of power relationships.
She has worked with PAF Olomouc since 2017, programming screenings and exhibitions. She co-founded
and programmed the collectives: Transmissions.tv and Décalé. She is a Tutor at the Royal College of Art’s
Contemporary Art Practice Programme and works as a freelance producer/researcher for Somerset House
Studios. She produces monthly shows on Resonance FM and stegi.radio and live music under Alpha
through several projects and collaborations (MAENADS, Polisonics, The New Adolescents). Her latest
project was hosted at Matt’s Gallery (May-Sept 2024) and is an ongoing series titled Always Coming Home.

CYPHER is an independent gallery founded in 2024 by Isavella Kladaki, dedicated to the exploration of
contemporary art through the promotion of emerging artists.