AMAZONOMACHY
March 2nd - May 29th 2022
Cervantes Institute, Herakleidon Museum and the Municipality of Madrid are presenting Amazonomachy an exhibition by Clara Carvajal
The exhibition is under the auspices of the Embassy of Spain in Athens
Amazonomachy (“Battle of the Amazons”) is a project by Clara Carvajal that proposes a reassessment of the myth of the amazons within its historical framework. Based on recent scientific discoveries that confirm the existence of these female warriors during the 6th cent. B.C., the artist creates a contemporary amazonomachy. The exhibition is curated by Carmen Fernandez Ortiz and comprises 30 works.
In the series Amazonomachy 1.1 and Amazonomachy 1.2, Clara Carvajal begins with the reproductions of the fourteen metopes of the western side of the Parthenon, with photographs she took in the new Acropolis Museum of Athens. She adds texts and images to adapt them to the historical evidence, painting phrases on the protective acrylic sheet using a font that she herself has designed. These phrases are based on the five titles that compose the outline of the story:
• Reclassification
• The true conditions of the Battle
• Female warriors
• The loss of the language and the civilization of the defeated
• It is not a myth, it is history
The narration is complemented by a 12-minute video that shows the survival of women today in domains forbidden to them. These new amazons are represented here with images of female boxers in action: Arica Bseiso (1984, Jordan), Farinaz Lari Khanjari (1987, Iran) and Joana Pastrana (1991, Spain), world lightweight champion. Clara Carvajal chose excerpts from Penthesilea (1808) by the German romantic playwright Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) to accompany the images of the video.
“The metopes of the western side of the Parthenon depict the victories of the Greeks against the Amazon tribes. This Amazonomachy represents the antithesis between order and chaos, situated for the Greeks where civilization and barbarism, and even East and West collide. One of the elements that best embody this antithesis is the woman warrior. It upends the order of Greek civilization, questioning traditional values that upheld the superiority of the Greek system and the male sex. In order to preserve this superiority, the battle against the Amazons was reduced to a mere myth. Depriving it of historical recognition led to the withholding of its legalization and a sexist reading of history, thus strengthening the prejudice which persists to this day.” Clara Carvajal
“As Carvajal says, “the denial of the amazons’ epic past is one more way to relegate women to a role of submission”. The artist looks them in the eyes and presents to us the tradition based on the metopes of the Parthenon that she photographed, so as to confirm that myths are partial truths, although these myths may still be alive in our perception, in our subconscious, engraved by fire as eternal truths that are preserved and protected by the acrylic sheet, a transparent but cold material that distances us from other possible interpretations. The oil painting on this material with a new font designed by Carvajal sweetens our glance and reconciles us with the second reading offered by the work. Thus it shows us new elements of hieroglyphics which, seemingly, it is time to interpret.” Carmen Fernández Ortiz
“I chose excerpts from the work of Heinrich von Kleist, Penthesilea and then combined them to create a short narration relating to the violence exerted by women. I read them in a loud voice like a theatrical recital. At the same time, the projection on the screen shows three female boxers exercising and training for what is to them the true conditions of the fight.” Clara Carvajal.
VENUE:
37 Apostolou Pavlou Str., 118 51 Athens
HOURS:
Wednesday to Sunday, 13:00 - 17:00
TICKETS:
With the museum ticket