Hellenic National Archaeological Museum, Athens<\/p>\n
30 October 2026 \u2013 24 January 2027<\/p>\n
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The solo exhibition of international contemporary artist William Kentridge, Imitate the Sleep of Stones, which opened on October 29, 2026 at the National Archaeological Museum and is hosted in the halls of the Museum\u2019s permanent collection, brings the artist\u2019s works into dialogue with selected antiquities from the Museum\u2019s collection and one loan from the Acropolis Museum.<\/p>\n
The exhibition connects to the opera L\u2019Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, directed by William Kentridge, by the Greek National Opera, in the Stavros Niarchos Hall at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC). Drawing inspiration from the myth of Orpheus\u2019 descent into the Underworld to bring his beloved Eurydice back to life, the exhibition brings together works created by the artist in the context of the production of the opera, as well as others from his broader artistic oeuvre.<\/p>\n
Among the strict, rigid forms of Daedalic art and the archaic statues of kouroi and korai, as well as in funerary reliefs crowned by Sphinxes, rust-painted steel figures, paper silhouettes of trees appear along with other objects such as clothing, tools, a loudspeaker and a haversack, leading the visitor to the central hall. There is the core of the exhibition, with a diorama, which utilizes the 19th century theater visual technique known as \u201cPepper\u2019s Ghost\u201d, introducing reflected moving images into a material model. The projected figures appear in the constructed space as ephemeral presences, uniting design, performance, cinema and theatrical illusion in a single work. The diorama forms a passage between visibility and disappearance, echoing Orpheus\u2019 journey. Along the way, paper tree silhouettes refer to Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s interpretation of the myth, according to which Eurydice has now become part of the earth. They are presented next to ancient finds, connecting her transformation with stone, earth and excavation.<\/p>\n
The artist\u2019s works are connected to the Museum\u2019s antiquities through music, love and the concepts of death and transformation, and encounter different aspects of the myth, but also of the artist\u2019s broader artistic practice. They convey memories of the themes that have long preoccupied the artist\u2019s work, such as movement, displacement and collective history.<\/p>\n
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Curator: Burcu Fikreto\u011flu<\/p>\n
Assistant Curator: Dora Vasilakou<\/p>\n
Exhibition Design: Sabine Theunissen<\/p>\n
Architectural Design: Despina Tsafou<\/p>\n
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Opening hours until 15 November:<\/p>\n
Wednesday to Monday: 08:00 \u2013 20:00 \/ last entry: 19:30<\/p>\n
Tuesday: 13:00 \u2013 20:00 \/ last entry: 19:30<\/p>\n
Opening hours from 16 November:<\/p>\n
Wednesday to Monday: 08:00 \u2013 15:30 \/ last entry: 15:00<\/p>\n
Tuesday: 13:00 \u2013 20:00 \/ last entry: 19:30<\/p>\n