A Rave Down Below, 2023

The painting To Hell and Back was commissioned by 2023 Eleusis, for the group exhibition A Rave Down Below curated by Panos Giannikopoulos, as part of 2023 Eleusis Cultural Capital of Europe.

From the exhibition text:

In To Hell and Back, Katerina Papazissi weaves together the ancient and the contemporary, blending the myth of Persephone’s cyclical descent to the Underworld with the frenetic, hedonistic world of modern rave culture. The result is a mesmerizing visual journey that transcends temporal and mythological boundaries. Papazissi’s canvas is a swirling maelstrom of colour, where the dark jues of yellow, green, and pink emerge as if from the very heart of a rave party. These colours are not mere aesthetics, they have a pulsating rhythm, inviting into a hypnotic dance of their own. Papazissi’s subjects, embodying the euphoria and release that raves promise, emerge like figures rising from the depths of the subconscious. THe artist draws on a diverse array of influences, from Delacroix’s The Death of Sardanapalus to the Bacchic revelry depicted by Poussin and Jordaens, and even the bold strokes of Picasso. Yet, it is the inclusion of evokative images from the raves of the 1990s and 2000s and from the stark devastation of the Greek fires in the summer of 2023 that make To Hell and Back a vivid reflection of our contemporary moment. The act of descending into the Underworld becomes a metaphor for exploring contemporary rituals through dance, seeking not mere escapism, but catharsis, release, and liberation.

Panos Giannikopoulos and Aggeliki Tzortzakaki