CITRONNE Gallery

The solo presentation of Panos Charalambous at SPARK ART FAIR in Vienna includes a historical body of works inspired by his birthplace, Xiromero, a secluded area in west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea with the Achelous River for a boundary. The chosen artworks feature tobacco leaves that echo the area’s landscape, including its land, rivers, lakes, and sea. They also highlight the now-extinct tobacco plantations and a once-thriving farming community connected to nature and united by local festivities. These mixed-media works reverberate the ecological urgencies of our time and the need to reconnect with nature and collective values. Charalambous‘ wall-mounted tobacco leaf artworks transcend the organic and explore ecology, memory and corporality. Additionally, CITRONNE Gallery presents photographs where the artist embodies a fisherman, a symbolic role that intertwines personal narrative with the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature. As a whole, this presentation serves as a poignant reminder of our vital ecological concerns, urging reflection on the delicate balance between humans and the living world. In today’s context of urgent environmental challenges and mass uprooting of communities, Charalambous’ work becomes a timely exploration of our roots and the universal struggle for harmony in an ever-changing world. Through his lens, the artist prompts us to consider the impact of our actions on the ecosystem.

Panos Charalambous (1952-) lives and works in Athens. He has participated in exhibitions internationally, including: 58th Venice Biennale (at the Greek National pavilion), Venice, Italy (2019); documenta 14, Athens and Kassel (2017); White House Biennial, Varna (2016); eidos, Besançon (2014); Break-Through, Madrid (2004); Cultural Capital of Europe, Copenhagen (1996); and Kunst-Europa, Berlin (1991). Solo shows in Greece include: AMVRAKIA MIA (2024), Aquis Submersus (2014-15); Tobacco Area 1986-2011 (2011); Voice-O-Graph (2006-07); Phonopolis (2003-04); Psychagogia II (2001); 1496-2000 / como humo se va (1999-2000); and Psychagogia I: Recreation (1997). In 2015, he was awarded by the Association of Art Critics – AICA HELLAS for the exhibition AQUIS SUBMERSUS. He was elected professor emeritus and served as Rector of the Athens School of Fine Arts during the period 2014-2019. His oeuvre includes performances, happenings and installations that often encompass sound, video, photography, found objects, archival material, or mixed-media works. His work evokes the notion of time and loss. It addresses locality and also scavenges the deeper kinships among different cultures in a non-linear manner. Panos Charalambous redefines the importance of the European South as a periphery. With a social-anthropological approach he creates a dynamic between past and present ways of being.

CITRONNE Gallery-Athens commenced its operations in November 2018, building upon and expanding the efforts initiated on the island of Poros in the summer of 2006. Founded and directed by art historian Dr. Tatiana Spinari-Pollalis, the gallery collaborates with distinguished Greek artists and those of the Greek diaspora, exploring the intersections between the local and the global. Additionally, it showcases thematic exhibitions featuring emerging artists and curators. The gallery aims to provide an accessible space that encourages interdisciplinary dialogue through lectures, panel events, and research-based exhibitions. Furthermore, CITRONNE Gallery serves as a platform for reflecting on and documenting artistic currents, producing curated publications. Since 2013, CITRONNE-Poros has partnered with the Archaeological Museum of Poros, organizing temporary exhibitions highlighting the work of contemporary artists. The gallery has also engaged in collaborations with international organizations, including OECD Paris.