A Fututre for the Past
Marble Sculpture Meets Contemporary Design

Exhibition at Benaki Museum, Athens, June 4th - 30th 2024​

The Benaki Museum, in collaboration with the marble atelier on•entropy and the non-profit organisation Ingenious Loci, presents the exhibition A Future for the Past, a show focused on supporting and promoting Tinian Marble Sculpture
through contemporary design.

 

The exhibition is part of a two-year programme of the same name, curated by Maria Christina Didero, which explores the social dimension of marble craftsmanship in Tinos in its dialogue with contemporary culture and which hopes to show how that relationship can contribute to both social and economic sustainability.

 

The ancient art of marble processing on this Cycladic island has been included in UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with the School of Fine Arts and Marble Sculpture of Pyrgos, Tinos, being one of only three places globally where this art is still studied and practiced. As an art that has been continuously practiced for millennia and is inextricably linked to our cultural heritage, having produced internationally renowned Greek craftsmen and sculptors, Tinian marble-carving holds great historical significance. At the same time, it can also constitute a potential factor for social progress. Beyond that, the art of sculpting in marble and, in particular, the kinesthetic knowledge preserved across generations that underlies it contribute to the strengthening of societal bonds within the villages of Tinos.

Now more than ever, during a period of intense touristic development and gentrification on the island of Tinos, putting marble sculpture into a contemporary artistic context can help restore the sense of community and belonging. Through its beneficial effect on the collective identity of Tinians, it can improve their quality of life, socially and economically.

"You used to hear children playing with the hammer; on the streets of Pyrgos, you used to hear water running, and bells ringing. The doors of the houses and the marble workshops stayed wide open all day. Today the place is full of shops, and there is no trace of marble craftsmanship. There was a time when marble workshops and churches were central to our daily lives and work,” stated a Tinian sculptor.

It's precisely this artistic heritage that the project A Future for the Past aims to highlight. The exhibition on the first floor of the Benaki Museum features, as its central point, a sculpted table made of Dionysos marble, a product of collaboration between the on•entropy marble atelier and Tinian marble sculptors. Highlighting this work is part of a unique opportunity to open a creative dialogue between the marble exhibit items from the Museum's Collection of Modern Greek Culture and the contemporary creations by Tinian marble sculptors, which in turn can engage with this sculptural piece of
contemporary design made from Tinos marble.

 

The dialogue between the traditional and the contemporary continues on the ground floor of the Benaki Museum in the Byzantine art wing, where recent ecclesiastical works by artists from Tinos and some contemporary marble lighting fixtures, inspired by chandeliers, frame the museum's permanent collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, which are among the most famous and beloved objects in its collection.

The presentation of A Future for the Past at the Benaki Museum follows a successful showing at the 5VIE Desing Week last year in Milan, which received more than 30 mentions in the international press (including in Wallpaper*, Design Miami, and La Repubblica) and a special mention at the Salone Sustainability Award 2023. A follow-up event featuring various activities and workshops, which will take place on Tinos, will be announced soon.

This is an unprecedented synergy of local with international and traditional with contemporary in this particular field of craftsmanship, a synergy that aims to contribute to the future of both contemporary marble design and the marble-
sculpting tradition, making Tinos an acknowledged centre of cultural wealth.

 

As the curator of A Future for the Past put it, "Design is not exclusively about making a beautiful and comfortable chair, but about the generations of people and the extensive, in-depth knowledge required to create something. Their
connection to the material and their interactions with one other are the true essence of craftsmanship. These aspects are often taken for granted or overlooked, yet they should be highlighted, especially in our rapidly changing era."

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Tinian marble craftsmen & sculptors:

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1. Nikos & Panagiotis Fortomas, Athens

2. Argyris Skalkotos, Athens

3. Onoufrios Desypris, Tinos

4. Dimitris Skalkotos, Athens

5. Giannis Hondrogiannis, Tinos

6. Markos Trigonis, Tinos

7. Petros Marmarinos, Tinos

8. Giannis Kagiorgis, Tinos

9. Iakovos Philippou, Tinos

10. Preparatory and Vocational School of Fine Arts & Marble Craftsmanship of Panormos, Tinos

 

Designers: on•entropy

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Curated by: Maria Christina Didero, design curator, consultant and author

Exhibition duration: 5-30 June, 2024

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A FUTURE FOR THE PAST: CURATOR'S NOTE

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Marble, with its timeless allure, undergoes a fascinating transformation in the skilled hands of on•entropy. Founded in 2011 by sisters Niki and Zoe Moskofoglou, this Greek studio has consistently pushed the boundaries of marble craftsmanship. Their nomadic project, A Future for the Past, teasingly glimpsed during last year's Design Week in Milan, is on full display at the Benaki Museum this June, a unique exhibition hosted by one of the world's most relevant institutions, proudly representing the ultimate in Greek culture. With this show and other ongoing efforts, the two designers hope to draw attention to and revitalise the ancient marble traditions of Tinos, breathing new life into them and preserving those spots on the island still dedicated to this craft from rapid gentrification fueled by the exceptional beauty of the place.

It's true that Tinos is renowned for its remarkable landscapes and its stunning shores, but it's also known for its centuries-old tradition of working high-quality raw materials such as the island's esteemed green marble. It boasts a rich array of Orthodox churches, ancient temples, and a profound spiritual heritage as well. Today, Tinos continues to enchant visitors with its charming villages full of vernacular architecture, but its greatest charm may lie in its masterful craftsmanship and its natural resources. Indeed, the island's marble remains unmatched, with the finest stone originating from this Cycladic gem and reflecting Tinos' enduring influence in the world of marble production. The exhibition A Future for the Past seeks to re-examine the physical embodiment of marble while exploring the profound inspiration it ignites. It also hopes to preserve and strengthen the tradition of marble craftsmanship, both locally and globally, in as many expressions and interpretations as possible.

The studio on•entropy combines traditional marble artistry with contemporary design, engaging local artisans to forge innovative pieces with a special, fresher slant. Drawing inspiration from their family's long tradition in this craft, Niki and
Zoe infuse each creation with narrative depth and a sense of evolution. Through collaborative efforts with some of the most skilled artisans from the island, their aspirations transcend conventional design limits, guiding marble into a realm of fluidity and ethereal beauty – one of this material’s most amazing attributes. Together, they are revitalising this ancient art form, interweaving past and present in an engaging dialogue of creativity, while also reflecting on a profound social change occurring on the island of Tinos, where their father used to bring them as children.

For their exhibition at the Benaki Museum, some of the finest works that on•entropy has designed over the last 10 years have been selected. From lightweight installations of marble pendant lights to a cactus-inspired chair, their pieces have been dispersed across two floors of the Benaki Museum (the ground level and the first floor), always in dialogue with the space around them and the collections amongst which they sit.

Alongside these pieces of profound spiritual significance, the sisters have also put on display a new work: a majestic sculptural table bearing the unmistakable imprint of the human form. Leveraging their expertise in transforming rigid
materials into fluid expressions, this project investigates the intricacy of the human body, probing its dual nature as both a repository of memories and an agent of transformation. Fashioned from marble, a material intimately intertwined with human anatomy (as evidenced by myriad famous examples in the international history of art) , this work offers a fresh perspective by focusing on internal manifestations rather than external representations. Employing a sculptural language that deftly navigates contrasts, A Future for the Past challenges our perceptions of past and present, tradition and innovation, and marble and sculpture alike, while bringing ancient customs together with contemporary expression.

Maria Cristina Didero
Milan, the 7 th of May 2024

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