Visitors to the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania will have the opportunity to take an exciting journey through time with 150 original silver prints, bearing the signature of the most important figure of the interwar Greek photographic scene, Nelly’s, through its new exhibition “Nelly’s – Krassakis Collection” which will be inaugurated on July 13, 2024.

Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, Santorini, Mystras are depicted in the unique relics that belong to the inter-war and post-war phase of photography, and which capture the way Greece was perceived by Elli Souyoultzoglou-Seraidari, who was born in Aydin, Asia Minor. “When I got to know Greece and its many beauties, almost at every step I saw a painting in front of me. Wherever I turned to look, I saw images ready to be photographed”, she herself described her relationship with the Greek landscape.

However, apart from antiquities and Hellenistic monuments, the photographs of the Krassakis collection – some of which are exhibited for the first time – trace the events of the Delphic Festivals, traditional costumes, portraits, famous personalities and nudes with famous dancers of the time.

“It’s not just about tasteful works of art. They are remarkable historical documents that capture important moments, emotions and stories from the past. They are, on the one hand, an expression of the photographer’s vision and creativity and, on the other hand, they are works that provide information about the social, historical and cultural context in which they were created”, notes the curator of the exhibition, artist Stella Koukoulaki .

The works in the “Nelly΄s – Krassakis Collection” exhibition are mainly silver and oil prints, printed, signed and stamped by the photographer herself at the time of their creation, which further testifies to their historical authenticity in contrast to modern reprints from the negatives of the artist”, according to the curator.

The 150 frames in the exhibition at the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania are a selection from the total of 300 in the collection of Tina and Michalis Krassakis, one of the largest private collections of works by the versatile photographer. “I was lucky enough to discover a large section of Nelly’s original prints for the Delphic Celebrations section. Of these, 22 silver prints in large sizes and in excellent condition are now being exhibited for the first time”, points out Michalis Krassakis and adds: “Despite the diverse subject matter, all her creations have a common denominator: the same technotropic script. The photographs created over so many decades, under completely different conditions and in different parts of the world, are all taken by the same hand. They couldn’t have been taken by someone else. They are all “Nelly’s”.

But who was the photographer who, in addition to studio portraiture and antiquities photography, also practiced nudity, dance, landscape painting, introduced pictorialist practices, the collage technique, did fashion and theater photography, tested color photography techniques and was a pioneer of tourist photography? “It was a novel form, dynamic, persistent, that experienced waves of recognition and obscurity, and to a certain extent she worked consciously for both. The exhibition of the Michalis Krasaki collection reveals a photographer with perfect technique, educated in music and painting, at a time when most domestic photographers were self-taught craftsmen. Nelly’s has been lucid as well as enigmatic, daring as well as conservative. In any case, he seems to have offered more to Greek photography than his open critics believe and perhaps less than his uncritical fans believe”, explains the curator of MOMus-Museum of Photography of Thessaloniki, Iraklis Papaioannou.

The “Nelly΄s – Krassakis Collection” exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual fully illustrated catalog with texts by Stella Koukoulakis, Iraklis Papaioannou and Michalis Krassakis, which was realized with the support of the Region of Crete. During the exhibition there will be guided tours for adult groups and educational programs for school groups.

COEFFICIENTS

Edited by: Stella Koukoulaki

Catalog texts: Stella Koukoulaki, Michalis Krassakis, Iraklis Papaioannou

Co-organizer: Region of Crete

Useful

Exposure Time:

Monday 13 July 2024 – Saturday 23 November 2024

Municipal Art Gallery of Chania – Halidon 98-102

Opening hours (summer time):

Monday to Saturday, hours: 10:00 -14:00 & 19:00-22:00

Sunday: Closed (except organized tours)

Ticket price:

General admission: €4

Reduced: €2

Tel: +30 28213 41680

Website: www.pinakothiki-chania.gr

Facebook & Instagram: @MunicipalArtGalleryChania

Source :  www.chania-culture.gr