Katia Varvaki’s recent body of work, titled “Eros and Psyche”, presented at the Café of the National Archaeological Museum, constitutes a profound visual and contemplative immersion into the timeless myth of the union between the human and the divine. Rather than a simple reference to an emblematic narrative of antiquity, the exhibition unfolds as a contemporary re-composition of the soul’s eternal quest for transcendence, trial and ultimately elevation.
Varvaki draws her inspiration from the Museum’s classical, Hellenistic and Roman collections, allowing the forms of vases, reliefs and sculptures to permeate her personal visual language. The female figures that dominate her works seem to break free from the stillness of archaeological material and acquire a new, ethereal presence. These are not copies or reproductions; they are reinterpretations. The artist re-signifies the past, constructing a poetic universe in which then and now coexist organically.
At the core of the exhibition lies the myth of Eros and Psyche — an allegory of the human soul’s journey toward the divine through trials, loss and arduous ascent. For Varvaki, this myth gains particular relevance in an era largely revolving around materiality. Psyche, as a symbol of inner quest, becomes a counterbalance to materialistic everyday life, while her union with Eros transforms into an act of spiritual completion.
The creative process behind this series proved almost initiatory for the artist. Her wandering through the Museum galleries sparked an inner upheaval: exhibits seemed to come alive before her, narrating stories of women, children, celebrations and battles. Female forms in particular — maenads, sirens, harpies, Aphrodites and korai — moved her deeply. In their gaze she perceived sorrow, strength, desire and loss. From this experiential encounter emerged the urge to bring them back into the present and offer them a “second life.”
Materiality plays a leading role in her visual vocabulary. Watercolour pencils on wood, pink and orange hues, pages from women’s magazines, palimpsests and wires compose a multilayered environment. Ephemeral materials — magazine pages and contemporary image fragments — are embedded into the surface of the work and transformed into carriers of timeless meaning. Material presence does not negate the immaterial; it serves it. Through this coexistence, the artist bridges past and present, turning contemporary imagery into a vessel of memory.
Equally compelling is her exploration of the third dimension. For the first time, Varvaki paints on clay vases, engaging directly with the ceramic tradition that inspired her. She unites fragments from different representations, introduces dynamic contemporary female figures and creates new narratives bearing traces of both antiquity and lived experience. The vessels function not as decorative objects but as bearers of myth and memory — surfaces upon which a personal mythology is inscribed.
Her female figures do not belong to specific individuals. They are archetypes traversing time — women shaped by desires, anxieties and disappointments. Their attire blends hairstyles and elements of the past with modern symbols of femininity, such as high heels or fitted dresses. Through this encounter of eras, Varvaki underscores both the timelessness of female experience and its ongoing transformation.
The artist perceives art itself as a demanding ascent. Creation entails trials, doubt and inner conflict; each completion marks a small conquest before the next peak. Like Psyche of the myth, Varvaki follows a path of continuous search, where Eros operates both as a unifying force and a terrain of testing.
The exhibition’s hosting at the Museum Café, curated by the renown Greek curator, Iris Kritikou, adds a distinctive dimension to the viewer’s experience. The space is far from neutral; it acts as an extension of the Museum itself. Visitors move among the works, sip coffee, converse, while beside them Varvaki’s mythological women appear to narrate silent stories. In this way, art enters the flow of daily life while preserving its poetic intensity.
If “Eros and Psyche” could be distilled into a single phrase, it would be “uplift and joy.” Through a particularly fertile creative period, Katia Varvaki reaches a new peak in her artistic journey, transforming an ancient myth into a contemporary experience. The result is an exhibition that does not merely look to the past but activates it — inviting viewers to follow their own inner path from vessel to present, from matter to soul.
