The revival of modern Greek jewelry

Tales Tiles experience store is organising the exhibition Modern Greek Elegance: From yesterday’s history to today’s AENÁLIA. Led by the first brand to revive modern Greek jewelry, the exhibition aims to walk along the paths of the history of modern Greece, from the 17th to the end of the 19th century, and listen to the art of jewelry in a period when Hellenism was tested, but managed to flourish.

Reaching up to the present day, the exhibition highlights AENÁLIA’s inseparable link with history and tradition, in order to transform the jewelry of the recent past into something contemporary, beautiful and authentic.

On display will be original modern Greek jewellery, from which AENÁLIA’s founder Katerina Kritikou draws inspiration for her creations, lithographs of traditional costumes from various regions of Greece and the jewellery that accompanies them, historical books on modern Greek jewellery and, of course, AENÁLIA’s jewellery collections.

The inauguration of the exhibition will take place on Saturday, March 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., while at 7:00 p.m. an interesting discussion between Katerina Kritikou and Stavroula Chorinou, founder of Tales in Tiles, with many, many stories will be held.

AENÁLIA was founded in Athens in 2019 by art historian Katerina Kritikou. The founder’s long-standing love for the Modern Greek tradition led her to redefine Modern Greek jewelry as part of contemporary elegance.

Katerina Kritikou was inspired by the jewelry given to her by her grandmother and her contact with the Lyceum of Greek Women. She wore them when she studied in Paris and people from all over the world asked her where they came from.

“I learned to appreciate the traditional costumes and literally fell in love with the jewelry that accompanied them. In my eyes, their beauty is not only captivating, they tell stories and I am very proud that they are Greek. My initial need to learn about Greek history soon turned into a deep desire to explain to the world what modern Greek jewelry is and to save it from oblivion. After several years of research, I founded AENÁLIA to give every woman the opportunity to connect with the Modern Greek tradition and eventually become part of its modern version”. she states

Historical research is of paramount importance in the creation of AENÁLIA’s collections. Each piece of jewelry is inspired by the rich silversmithing tradition of the post-Byzantine period and the remarkable variety of its creations, while remaining connected to its cultural context, designed in every detail and handcrafted with respect to traditional techniques.

Tales in Tiles is a space that for 4 years has been promoting art and artists as a means of meeting people, sharing ideas and above all values that are so much in question on our planet these days.

While the emphasis is on ceramics, the space deals with all kinds of art, through exhibitions and workshops, but also through the objects included in its shop. Jewelry, inspired by Greece and its history, has a special place in it.

This exhibition is the 9th exhibition organized by the space since its foundation, and the first jewelry exhibition. “Since October 2021, the space has hosted visual art, photography and multimedia exhibitions and we continue, always with the aim of sharing, reflecting and awakening to all that happens around us”. the founder Stavroula Chorinou says.