The exhibition presents paintings by the artist that have emerged from her urban walks in Athens and Constantinople over several years, creating an ethereal conceptual city that unifies two worlds.

Amalia Koronaki is skilled in capturing the essence of everyday people and situations, deeply rooted in the tradition of urban sketching, a movement gaining momentum in recent years, seeking to depict city life and culture through artists’ eyes. Her “conversing twins,” paintings depicting life in Athens and Constantinople, as well as her own wanderings in the two cities, create a parallel dimension separated only by the distance, as life, interpersonal relationships, the experienced city itself, individual or collective, the small events of daily life in public spaces, the crowd, and less so the topographical dimension, are at the heart of interest.

Traditionally, this type of urban topography serves as valuable documentation for capturing the socio-political, economic, and cultural conditions of a specific era. The portrayal of human form within it offers equally important insights into the anthropogeography of the place. In the modern era, however, urban sketching emphasizes the idea that artists play a unique role in depicting the essence of urban life. Focusing on people and places that compose a city’s fabric, urban painters create deeply personal works, offering a unique perspective on the world around us. They also address the influence of memory on the present and past. Amalia Koronaki’s choice to depict themes often in old newspapers adds an additional layer of meaning to her work. By using recycled materials, she highlights the transitory nature of moments and the people she captures, emphasizing that these seemingly insignificant moments are part of a larger narrative extending far beyond the boundaries of her works.

In the genealogy of art, Koronaki’s work can be seen as a continuation of a long tradition of artists. From the Impressionists to the Social Realists, artists have been fascinated by people and places in the city and have attempted to capture their essence in their work. She brings these aspects to the forefront of our attention, challenging us to think more deeply about the social, political, and economic forces shaping the urban landscape, and to examine our own involvement in these processes. Her exploration highlights the uniqueness of the transitional element; examining two cities with deep connections, exerting a continuous influence on each other. An invisible city is created in the collective subconscious, unifying two societies.

The artist herself is a contemporary flâneur in the Butlerian sense, reflecting deeply on the influence and role of the artist-wanderer, the planet of cities, Culture, space, and place. Baudelaire urges us to see the beauty of modern urban life, while in “Le peintre de la vie moderne” (1863), he introduces the concept of the flâneur, the visual artist-observer. The urban figure of the wanderer, simultaneously part of and detached from the crowd, was outlined earlier in Edgar Allan Poe’s essay “The Man of the Crowd” (1840). Post-war theories of drift and psychogeography were also based on this concept of the wanderer. The exploration of these matters contributes to raising awareness of the complex and often invisible social dynamics, promoting a more critical and reflective approach to the structured environments of our cities. While Amalia Koronaki’s choice to depict life in the streets of two parallel urban environments is not unique on the global scale, as other artists have done the same, creating artworks depicting scenes in two different cities, her exploration presents the uniqueness of the transitional element. She examines two cities with long-standing connections, exerting a continuous influence on each other. Thus, an invisible city is created in the collective subconscious, unifying two societies.

The artist herself is a contemporary flâneur in the Butlerian sense, reflecting deeply on the influence and role of the artist-wanderer, the planet of cities, Culture, space, and place. Baudelaire urges us to see the beauty of modern urban life, while in “Le peintre de la vie moderne” (1863), he introduces the concept of the flâneur, the visual artist-observer. The urban figure of the wanderer, simultaneously part of and detached from the crowd, was outlined earlier in Edgar Allan Poe’s essay “The Man of the Crowd” (1840). Post-war theories of drift and psychogeography were also based on this concept of the wanderer. The exploration of these matters contributes to raising awareness of the complex and often invisible social dynamics, promoting a more critical and reflective approach to the structured environments of our cities. Although Amalia Koronaki’s choice to depict life on the streets in urban settings in two parallel cities is not unheard of globally, as other artists have done the same and created artworks depicting scenes in two different cities obsessively, her exploration presents the uniqueness of the transitional element. She examines two cities with deep bonds between their people, continuously influencing each other. Thus, an intangible city is formed in the collective unconscious, uniting two societies.

The artist herself seems to be a contemporary flâneur according to the Butlerian perspective, reflecting deeply on the influence and role of the artist as a wanderer, a planet of cities, Culture, space, and place. Baudelaire encourages us to perceive the beauty of modern urban life. In “Le peintre de la vie moderne” (1863), he introduces the concept of the flâneur, the visual artist-observer. The urban figure of the wanderer, who is simultaneously a part of and detached from the crowd, had been outlined earlier in Edgar Allan Poe’s essay “The Man of the Crowd” (1840). Post-war theories of drift and psychogeography also derived from this notion of the wanderer. Exploring these aspects contributes to heightening awareness of the intricate and often unseen social dynamics, fostering a more critical and contemplative approach to the structured environments of our cities. While Amalia Koronaki’s decision to portray life on the streets within parallel urban settings in two cities is not novel on the global stage, as other artists have done the same, creating artworks obsessively depicting scenes in two distinct cities, her exploration reveals the uniqueness of the transitional element. She probes two cities with profound links, mutually exerting continuous influence. Hence, an imperceptible city materializes within the collective unconscious, binding two societies.

The artist herself resembles a contemporary flâneur through a Butlerian lens, contemplating the impact and role of the artist-wanderer, a planet within cities, Culture, space, and place. Baudelaire encourages us to apprehend the allure of modern urban life, and in “Le peintre de la vie moderne” (1863), he introduces the notion of the flâneur, the visual artist-observer. The urban embodiment of the wanderer, simultaneously integrated with and detached from the crowd, had been delineated earlier in Edgar Allan Poe’s essay “The Man of the Crowd” (1840). Post-war theories of drift and psychogeography also emerged from this concept of the wanderer. Exploring these facets fosters an increased consciousness of intricate and frequently obscured social dynamics, propelling a more discerning and introspective approach to the structured settings of our cities. Although Amalia Koronaki’s selection to portray life on the streets within parallel urban environments in two cities is not novel globally, given that other artists have undertaken the same endeavor, persistently crafting artworks portraying scenes in two distinct cities, her exploration unveils

the distinctiveness of the transitional element. She probes two cities tethered by profound bonds, perpetually influencing each other. Consequently, an intangible city coalesces within the collective subconscious, uniting two societies.

– Paris Kapralos
Visual Curator