“Traces and Maps”: Vasso Trigga transforms the Hydra’s landscape into a world of imagination and touch

Vasso Trigga’s exhibition “Writings and Maps” extends through October, inviting visitors to explore the island’s quiet magic

In the quiet glow of the Historical Archives – Museum of Hydra, artist Vasso Trigga presents her new solo exhibition “Traces and Maps,” curated by Iris Kritikou. With thirty-six works in total – 28 paintings and 28 ceramic forms – the exhibition unfolds as a tactile, poetic cartography of memory, emotion, and material presence.

“My painting leaves traces and marks an optical path moving between reality and imagination,” says the artist. “Each work records what the eye maps, preserving the sensations evoked by nature in moments of human presence within it.”

Curator Iris Kritikou describes her work as “the stratifications of an inner journey – each one a return to the imaginary landscape of an experience with its own materiality.”
“Exploring and reinventing the maps and writings of the magical blue island, Trigga sculpts with daring precision and tactile sensitivity a hybrid world born of intuition. Through spectral palettes and layers of color – translucent or dense blue waters, untouched deep-green forests, pavilions and straw figures, gleaming clays and winged traces – she composes a handmade, handwritten map of the world. A world of memory and imagination that listens to the earth’s core and reawakens the viewer’s own sense of wonder.”

Hydra as an inner landscape

Set against the rugged landscape and luminous stillness of Hydra, the exhibition feels inseparable from its environment. The island’s austere stone architecture, its deep connection to the sea, and its long tradition as a haven for artists – from Leonard Cohen in the 1960s to today’s DESTE Foundation Hydra Slaughterhouse exhibitions – make it a natural setting for Trigga’s reflective work.

The works converse with each other and with the architecture of the museum itself, creating a harmonious dialogue between painting and clay, gesture and silence, nature and the human gaze. The museum’s thoughtful spatial design and lighting reveal the inner coherence of Trigga’s visual language, while the accompanying catalogue serves as both a poetic appendix and a key to interpretation.

“Her works are the stratifications of an inner journey – each one a return to the imaginary landscape of an experience with its own materiality,” notes curator Iris Kritikou.
“Exploring and reinventing the maps and writings of the magical blue island, Trigga sculpts with daring precision and tactile sensitivity a hybrid world born of intuition. Through spectral palettes and layers of color – translucent or dense blue waters, untouched deep-green forests, pavilions and straw figures, gleaming clays and winged traces – she composes a handmade, handwritten map of the world. A world of memory and imagination that listens to the earth’s core and reawakens the viewer’s own sense of wonder.”

“The island is an inner landscape,” she notes. “Not only because of its light and stone, but because of the layering of time it carries. Hydra is a place that makes you look inward – and listen.”

Material, memory, light

Trigga’s paintings and ceramics emerge from a deep engagement with the physical world. Her palette — lapis-lazuli blue, white, earthy greens and browns – evokes sea, rock, and vegetation. The ceramic object, she writes, “embodies the culture of everyday life, of the simple person who uses it — and through it, creates.”

Art critic and curator Iris Kritikou describes her work as “the stratifications of an inner journey and a constant return to the imaginary landscape of experience.” Organic and geometric forms, shadows, plants and stones appear as signs of conscious emotion – the artist’s way of mapping not only the visible but the sensed.

With a strong visual and poetic texture, “Writings and Maps” captures the delicate balance between imagination and materiality, presence and memory. The exhibition has received an enthusiastic response from collectors and art lovers alike and has been extended through October 31, 2025.

If you go – Autumn on Hydra

The exhibition “Writings and Maps” by Vasso Trigga has been extended through October 31, 2025, offering the perfect reason to visit Hydra this autumn. With warm sunlight, gentle sea breezes, and far fewer crowds than in summer, October is one of the most beautiful times to experience the island’s quiet rhythms and artistic spirit.

Getting there
Hydra is easily reached from Piraeus Port, with daily high-speed ferries operated by Hellenic Seaways and Alpha Lines. The journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cars are not allowed, preserving the island’s serene, timeless atmosphere — you’ll move around on foot, by donkey, or water taxi.

What else to see

• Historical Archives – Museum of Hydra (IAMY) – Where Trigga’s exhibition unfolds among the island’s maritime relics and history.
• DESTE Foundation Project Space Slaughterhouse – Hydra’s contemporary art landmark, hosting world-class summer exhibitions.
• Lazaros Kountouriotis Mansion – A neoclassical residence with sweeping views, now part of the National Historical Museum.
• Hydronetta – A cliffside swimming spot perfect for an afternoon dip, even in early autumn.
• Kiafa – The island’s old upper neighborhood, ideal for a quiet walk through narrow alleys and stone courtyards.