Catalogue > At random

Catastrophe is the fatal turning point or resolution in Ancient Greek drama. The word catastrophe in Greek and Arabic bears the same weight: the catastrophe of Asia Minor, the Exodus from Palestine. When catastrophe strikes, the visual equivalent of extreme shock is to drop whatever one holds in one’s hands. The “unbreakable” Duralex glasses were created in France in the late 50’s and have today become a classic. A symbol of strength and durability, they have spread around the whole world and have been photographed in the hands of Afghan tribesmen, James Bond, and even Osama bin Laden. The “Western” glasses are shot in slow motion as they fall to the ground, bounce, alternate and merge with the more fragile Arabic tea-glasses in a silent and ultimately shared - dance of death. Letters hit the falling glassware with the rhythmic intensity of gunshots, spelling the word catastrophe in Greek, English, and Arabic (nakba). Catastrophe is a reflection on the current events in the world and the increasing loss of value of human life.

Marion Inglessi is a visual artist, scene designer, curator. Born in Athens, she lived in Ghana, Nigeria, Lebanon, Italy, France and USA. After a BA in English Literature, she received an MFA in Theatre Design from Brandeis University, Boston, U.S.A. (1986-89). She attended Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey on an Erasmus scholarship (2010-11). In 2014 she received an MFA from the School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki. She has worked as a designer for theatre, opera, film and advertising, in New York, Paris, Athens (1989-2003). She was Head of exhibitions & curator at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (2005-2009), for film directors Nico Papatakis, William Klein, Werner Herzog, Wim & Donata Wenders, Eve Sussman, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Guillermo del Toro, Cao Fei, and others. In 2015 she co-created a video animation project for refugee children & adolescents in Athens shelters. She has had two solo painting and sculpture exhibitions while participating and curating a number of group shows. Her work is in private collections in Greece, France, Switzerland and Turkey and the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art. Her video Catastrophe participated in the video survey Fireflies in the Night Take Wing, at the SNFCC, Athens, 2016.