Into Pan’s Cave: Ancient Greece Meets Contemporary Art

In the history of art, classical antiquity has always had an important place. But its uses and abuses vary widely at different times and contexts. What is the status of classical antiquity in contemporary art today? In a global world crisscrossed by hybrid traditions, what is at stake in engaging with “the Greeks”?

In this lecture and panel discussion, moderated by Alastair Blanshard, Brooke Holmes, Polina Kosmadaki, and Asad Raza discuss the conjunction of the classical and the contemporary in current art practices. “Into Pan’s Cave” explores, in particular, several sites of this conjunction. The panelists will focus on the zone of contact between art production and academic work as well as contemporary Athens as a place for making and exhibiting art.

Alastair Blanshard (chair) is the Paul Eliadis Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland.

Brooke Holmes is Professor of Classics at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. She is currently curating an exhibition entitled “Liquid Antiquity” organized by The DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art and the Benaki Museum and scheduled to open in Spring 2017.

Polina Kosmadaki is Curator of Paintings at the Benaki Museum, Athens, and is an expert on Greek contemporary art.

Asad Raza is an artist and producer. In 2015 he developed a piece on Pan for Frieze Projects, London, and in 2014, he produced two of Tino Sehgal’s works in the Roman Agora in Athens. He is currently directing the 2016 artistic program at the Villa Empain in Brussels.

University of Queensland Art Museum web site.