Dr. Anthony Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation, said:
“Minister Koniordou,
Members of the press,
Dear friends,
Welcome to the Onassis Cultural Center New York and to A World of Emotions. It is a big world indeed, and ever full of emotions. A World of Emotions builds upon an incredible record of outstanding Onassis exhibitions of ancient art recognized in Europe and the United States for their scholarship.
Events and exhibitions of the highest quality are consistently organized here. In just 18 months since the renovation of our space, the Center is already thriving, and breathing new life into the classical tradition through its innovative programs and contemporary perspective.
Our gratitude goes to the Greek Minister of Culture and Sports, Lydia Koniordou, for honoring us with her presence as we celebrate the opening of this major exhibition. Her ministry is not only entrusted with the preservation of Greece’s cultural heritage, but with sharing its riches so that people outside Greece may engage directly with the classical tradition. The Greek Ministry of Culture has done so generously.
This show is greatly enhanced by loans of extraordinary artworks from important European and North American museums. We are grateful to all of the directors of these fine institutions for supporting this project with their most treasured ancient masterpieces.
And I would like to acknowledge the presence of some here this morning. Their contributions make this exhibition a truly international collaboration that builds social solidarity. And it should be said that increasing social solidarity is a driving mission of the Onassis Foundation—manifested in art, education, and cultural initiatives offered to the broadest of audiences, as mandated by Aristotle Onassis, and always accessible to all.
As for the exhibition—in addition to seeing masterpieces, you may find yourself feeling an emotional resonance with the ancient Greeks. And that is why this exhibition is both relevant and extremely original. When, before, have you ever contemplated the feeling states of ancient peoples? And in so doing, I think it’s hard not to realize how timeless and universal emotions are. But what differs between then and now is how they are codified—how culture inevitably shapes ways in which emotions are expressed and repressed, and how they are stimulated.
We cannot possibly decode all of the meanings behind emotions expressed 2,000 years ago, seeing the anger directed at personal and political rivals on curse tablets and ostracizing pottery sherds certainly resonates with today’s media still dealing with the aftermath of a very emotional electoral season, and now covering a president who expresses emotion more readily than most.
This exceptional exhibition—A World of Emotions—introduces the visitors to a selection of carefully selected ancient artifacts that express and visualize the complex world of ancient emotions.
Altogether, this impressive array of artworks invites people to reflect on the significance of emotions in ancient Greece first, and finally, and perhaps more profoundly, on their own cultures as lived and felt today. I hope this comparison between ancient Greece and life in the 21st century will inspire visitors to leave our gallery with a deeper understanding of Classical Antiquity and a re-awakened awareness of our current social and cultural environment—our present emotional milieu.
Showcasing the relevance of the classical tradition in today’s world is core to our mission. In these times, when our common humanistic heritage is questioned, we should return to these sources. And we do return with our programming here in New York. Apart from our exhibitions of ancient art, the Onassis Festival every fall takes ancient Greek ideas as the point of departure and brings the conversation to the present. Whether it’s the myth of Narcissus or the story of Antigone, the similarities and connections to today are striking. Our educational programs also move in the same direction. Bringing the classics not only in universities teaching the humanities but also in business, medical and science schools.
This season, our contemporary approach to the theme of Emotions is highlighted by the new special commission, Black Frames, by artist Jannis Varelas, on the Art Wall. His compelling artwork will serve as a contemporary counterbalance to the ancient art in the gallery, shedding light onto the timelessness of Emotions as an inspirational force.
And now it’s time to acknowledge our superb curators—Angelos Chaniotis, Nikolaos Kaltsas, and Ioannis Mylonopoulos, who organized such an original and challenging show. I must express a special thanks to Professor Chaniotis, whose research project “The Social and Cultural Construction of Emotions: The Greek Paradigm,” funded by the European Research Council, and affiliated with the Classics Faculty of the University of Oxford, gave us the inspiration and the theory upon which we based our exhibition.
Thanks to all of you for coming today. My gratitude is heartfelt because your efforts are indispensable in creating awareness of the important work of the Onassis Foundation in Greece and the United States. We are seeing divisiveness around the world today—in Greece, elsewhere in Europe, the Middle East, and here in the United States. We are witness to anger, fear, and suspicion as driving forces in society.
The Foundation’s goal is to promote work that stirs society’s more beneficent emotions—through the arts, scholarship programs, and medical advancements, and we trust that this exhibition, in some small part, will do just that.
Now please give a warm welcome to the Minister of Culture and Sports of Greece, Ms. Lydia Koniordou.”
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