The Greek artist Nikolas Mpenopoulos, inspired by the history and the aesthetics of Greek banknotes, presents his new sculpture exhibition entitled “Typonontas drachmes” (“Printing drachmas”) in the Skoufa gallery, in Kolonaki, Athens.
The drachmas of Nikolas Mpenopoulos are enlarged and wrinkled, all printed on Plexiglas. Therefore, paper drachmas, which once belonged to the community and reflected its practical use by society, are becoming once again a field for communication, aesthetics and ideas for those who used them, but also for younger generations. Moreover, as stated by the artist, “… On both sides of the banknotes, publishers had an excellent opportunity to honor their ancestors, propagate regimes, present visions, create a common aesthetic perception and exert political propaganda.”
The drachma was the official currency of ancient and modern Greece. After the Roman period, it began to decay. In 1833, it was reestablished as the official monetary unit of the new Greek state, in an attempt to connect the new state with the ancient Greek civilization. Since then and until the end of 20th century, drachmas printed for the daily transactions of Greek citizens, combined the aesthetic with the dominant ideology of the given period, aiming to promote Greek universal messages.
The exhibition will open on Thursday, January 16 and Nikolas Mpenopoulos will offer the profit from his artwork sales to the non-profit association “Desmos.”
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