Solo Exhibition “Save the Forest” in Archaeological Site Mytilene Castle, Lesvos Island, Greece
The Mytilene Photography Society is hosting Ypatia Kornarou’s photography exhibition, “Save The Forest,” at the gallery in Archaeological Site Mytilene Castle.
The exhibition opening will take place on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 19:00, during which there will also be a presentation of the photographer’s work “Rebirth After Disaster,” which is a continuation of the project “Save The Forest”.
Photographer Ypatia Kornarou notes:
In the summer of 2021, the devastating wildfires across the country left an indelible mark on our souls. Vast swaths of forest were stripped bare, with nothing but ashes and charred tree trunks remaining in their place.
The photographic project “Save The Forest” was created out of the human need to ask forgiveness from the forests for the destruction inflicted upon nature. The human presence wanders through the forest, stands beside the trees and its animals, now as a soul, seeking redemption. Nature is the home of humankind. The fires burned that home.
Landscapes have words, they produce sound in the light and fall silent when they cry out. The lens documents the environmental destruction while simultaneously mourning what has happened. The only apology is the documentation itself.
About a year later, the photographer returns with empathy for all that was left lifeless. But nature is gifted, it regenerates. It carries within it its greatest hope for life.
The photographic project “Rebirth After Disaster”, which will be projected at the opening alongside the exhibition, is a continuation of the project “Save The Forest”. The photographer’s perspective changes, just as the landscape she observes changes. The lens connects with the earth, there, where the miracle of nature takes place, in the soil, at the root.
The photographs of “Rebirth After Disaster” were taken in February 2023 in the forest area of Tatoi, Greece. After the devastating wildfire of the summer of 2021, the forest has become another place, full of contrasts. Soil and ash in the same palm. You see “dwarf firs” everywhere, alongside peeled, burned tree bark that has fallen to the ground. The forest is changing its skin. It gives birth to green, to hope. The human is there. The human asks for forgiveness.
Artists participated in the photo shoots, responding immediately despite the adverse conditions. I would like to express my personal gratitude, as their participation was essential for the creation of these projects.
Opening Day: Sunday, April 2nd
Duration: April 2 – 7, 2022
Hours: Daily 19:00–21:00
Exhibition Venue: Archaeological Site Mytilene Castle
Address: 3rd Parodos of Mikras Asias, Mytilene
Artists
“Save The Forest” Nikolas Fourtzis, Miranda Zisimopoulou, Elisavet Kavalaki, Artemis Pappa, Minas Kourtis, Konstantina Gialeli
“Rebirth After Disaster” Lila Savoulidou and Nicole Kafetzopoulou
The event will also feature speakers and members of Mytilene Photography Society (F.E.M.) Michalis Bakas, Environmentalist, MSc in Environmental Policy and Management, and member of the “Green University of the Aegean” committee, and Kostas Theodorou, Professor in the Department of Environment at the University of the Aegean.