By Mihalis A.
(2014)
The ancient monsters of
Greece, born from the minds of great poets, thinkers, and storytellers, have
grown to become one of the most fearsome, yet awe inspiring figures in
mythology. They reflect not only the difficulties in life but our own
shortcomings. Monsters dwell within us and lash out occassionally when we are
not our best. Yet, the inspiring nature of the creativity that went into
developing such creatures is admirable and a wonder to behold. In The Greek Monsters a public art
exhibition in the atrium of the Olympic Tower, home to the Onassis Foundation,
one can see the overwhelming artistic aspect of many monsters of legend. The
exhibit was desinged by Beetroot Design Group, an award winning communication
design office and think tank based in Thessaloniki, Greece. For eleven years,
the group has worked hard to achieve its creative mission “to discover,
develep, and utilize the true essence of a brand, product or service and then
grow and expand it to become recognized, appreciated, and praised all around
the globe”. In 2011, the Beetroot Design Group was awarded the coveted Red Dot
Communication Design Award.
As soon as you enter the
atrium, you are surrounded by beasts,
whether it be menacing birds hanging above your head or a massive Polyphemus statue,
accompanied by several sheep, atop the revolving doors. It is very easy to
notice the theme of the sculptures. The colors of reddish orange and black are used to give the creatures an ancient feel,
like old Greek vases, yet the curvature, shape, and style of the works give it
a modern look, bringing these monsters into the twenty-first century. Along
the wall is a huge panorama of the many creatures that are also envisioned in
sculpture. From end to end every creature is expressive and unique, each one
being only more so than the last.
Notable figures include the Hydra, Scylla and Charybdis, Cerberus and
Polyphemus.
To one side there are
several sculptures ranging in sizes from one foot tall, to three feet tall, to
enormous eight foot tall structures, one of the largest being the minotaur.
Interestingly enough, the minotaur is kneeling and seems to be hiding his face
in shame. This aspect gave the monster a more human characteristic showing that
although the Greek monsters were fearsome beasts, they too had emotions and
could feel all the same. Along with the minotaur were sculptures of Scylla and
Charybdis, the three fates holding one eye and a cane, a three-headed cerberus,
Medusa, and other creatures I did not
even recognize. This gave testament to the vast amount of creatures in Greek
mythology and the expansive nature of this alternate, literary, and religious
universe.
To the other side was a huge circular genegram, or
family tree if you will, that stemmed from the Earth, Love and Chaos, going out
to the Sky, Titans, Gods and all the monsters featured in the exhibit. The size
of the chart was honestly compelling. Just to think of the creativity needed to
tell these stories and create so many creatures is almost unthinkable. Yet you
can express your own creativity in the exhibit with the “create your own
monster” part of the exhibit, where children are urged to create their own
monsters out of many small magnetic bodyparts that are plastered on a wall.
Going into the exhibit I had the chance to see the work of other young
children, their creativity bringing a smile to my face. The children had made
creatures with several arms and legs and one that looked like a serpent made
entirely of eyes. It was good to see that the artistic flame that burned within
the ancients still lingers today.
All
in all the exhibit was a delight and I would recommend it to anyone and
everyone. It is an excellent place to bring children as not only is it
engaging, it is interactive. Mythology enthusiasts will be pleased by the
extensive nature of the works while art lovers will be joyous to see the
originality and style of the pieces. There is really nothing bad to say about The Greek Monsters by Beetroot.
It is an artistic vision that I believe was fully achieved and I would not
change it in any way whatsoever.
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