The project was made possible through the financial support of the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) grant, and the Thermia Project Patronage Programme.

Patrons

Elia Mourtzanou Irene Panagopoulos Kakia Tzanneti & George Tsourapas Marina Martinou Stelios Kois

Supporters

Aphrodite Gonou The Vassilios Tsingos Foundation Leonidas Vrodissis & Alkistis Poulopoulou

Media Sponsor: Kosmos 93.6, ERT S. Aegean Travel Sponsor: Triton Ferries Partners: MoveArt, Bombay Sapphire, ArtVolt, Cat With Hat And With the kind support of the Municipality of Kythnos

In its fourth year, the artist residency programme Thermia Project presented the contemporary art exhibition Hidden Mythologies, curated by Odette Kouzou, at the Primary School of Chora in Kythnos, from July 12th to July 20th, 2025.

The participating artists in 2025 were Eugenia Vereli, Iasonas Kampanis, and Natalia Manta.

The works presented in the group exhibition Hidden Mythologies drew inspiration from creatures that inhabit the realm of folklore, fairytales, songs, myths, legends, and local traditions. These figures, monsters, spirits, and mythical entities form an invisible yet palpable presence that links past and present, fantasy and collective memory, the human and the "Other." The 2025 theme examined the role of such imaginary beings within the everyday life and cultural fabric of small, remote communities like Kythnos. Artistic practice became a means of revealing new modes of being and understanding place, while the “monster” of folk tradition served as a symbolic lens through which to reflect on the values shaping communal life, opening up new possibilities for how contemporary art might relate to local society.

During her stay in Kythnos, Eugenia Vereli followed a sensory method of artistic research, documenting what she encountered, discovered, felt, and observed. Her research focused on architectural forms and motifs found in traditional building ornamentation, Byzantine, and archaeological sites, artistic elements, and objects that constitute architectural materials and form part of the island’s construction history. These are observed in chimneys, animal saddles, gutters, the joint patterns on stone slabs, and in the stories and fairytales of Kythnos. A significant reference point in her work stems from the paths that led her to the medieval Castle of Oria, where the symbols and figures she encountered function as recurring motifs across space and time, linking people to both the place and its past. For her, this reveals a sense of continuity in experiences and conditions that may no longer be our own, but which, through observation and artistic interpretation, hold the dynamic to recompose the present with the ways of life of those who came before us. The repetition of motifs carrying symbolic weight, such as hope, love, and fear, serves as a thread of connection, a reminder of the shared human experiences that span all eras and facets of life. Through the works presented in the exhibition, both her signature ceramic vessels and a new body of paintings, she seeked to reconstruct these motifs, materials, and stories into a unified articulation of her experience on the island.

Iasonas Kampanis began his artistic research by wandering through the “island of the Dryopes” investigating the relationships between humans and nature as inscribed in ancient artifacts and the cultural heritage of Kythnos as it survives today. His goal was to create a small “essay” in the form of paintings, inspired by the nature-centered expressions of ancient myths, particularly their animistic underpinnings, and the ways in which these narratives shape the concept of “protection” derived from the spirits of place. The body of paintings presented in the exhibition centered on two converging symbols that emerged throughout Kampanis’s artistic exploration in Kythnos: the sense of a nature-protecting spirit, identified with Potnia Theron, and the chair as a site of commitment to a place. Drawing from archaeological artifacts, as well as from observing the close relationship between the island’s inhabitants and their land and traditions, he focused on the depiction of a seated figure inspired by an exhibit in the Archaeological Museum of Kythnos, associated with Potnia Theron, an archetypal nature deity and guardian of wild animals. This figure, present in various forms across the cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia, sometimes feminine, sometimes zoomorphic, evokes spirits of the countryside or agrarian deities who protect the land and its life cycles. Her presence embodies a kind of spirituality rooted in the rural landscape of the island, as an expression of the deep connection between people and topos. At the same time, the depiction of the chair, both as a position of welcoming and a symbol of commitment, becomes a vehicle for reflecting on the human relationship with land and with the collective spirit that protects it. Here, the chair functions not only as a physical seat but also as a “vessel” of reception, signifying permanence, rootedness, and acceptance of life in a given place. It symbolises marriage, not only between people, but between human and land; an unbreakable bond with the soil of Kythnos, with care, cultivation, and coexistence.

Natalia Manta explored myths that reference “creatures,” as well as stories, riddles, and folk tales associated with supernatural and imaginary elements. She was interested in the notion of the monster, the “Other,” the “non-normative,” and their representations in local tradition over time, while examining the island’s folklore along with traditional craft techniques, such as weaving and pottery. In the exhibition, she presented an installation composed of materials and forms inspired by archaeological findings, utilitarian objects, legends, stories, and the island’s landscape. Drawing inspiration from the distinctive cylindrical form of Kythnos’ windmills, the remnants of wagons from the abandoned mines, the dry-stone walls that mark the hillsides, and artifacts from the archaeological museum, such as vessels used for smoke in beekeeping and animal-shaped pottery, Manta created a sculptural installation. In this work, she used structural materials like bricks, clay, and natural rope that smells of grass, elements that evoke fundamental social structures and primary human needs. Her sculptural ensemble recalls vessels that could hold seeds, food, or water, while simultaneously transforming into mythical beings, both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic, that seem to emerge from the subconscious, from a dream or a vision. The installation was composed of a series of modular and interlocking forms, varying in size and diversity. The works resemble old toys, ritual tools, or musical instruments with ambiguous functions but a strong material presence. Gathered together on a platform made of red bricks, they evoked a family, a group of companions, or a rebellious assembly of beings. The bricks functioned not only as a physical base but also as symbols of structure, foundation, and support, referencing the act of building and construction. The choice of materials raises questions about contemporary life, our growing distance from the natural world, and the disappearance of everyday rituals, a loss that contributes to a disenchanted society in which imagination loses its power as a tool for political action and meaningful engagement.

Thermia Project participated in the Project Spaces section of Art Athina, held at Zappeion Megaron from 18 to 22 September 2025, presenting a group selection of works by its three 2025 resident artists — Eugenia Vereli, Iasonas Kampanis, and Natalia Manta.

This year, for the first time as part of the Thermia Project, a Creative Workshop for Children was held on the 3rd of May, led by the three resident artists in collaboration with the Municipality of Kythnos. The workshop invited students from the Kythnos Primary School to explore their imagination by creating a collective artwork inspired by the island’s fairytales and its imaginary creatures.

Thermia Project made a new donation to the Primary School of Chora, Kythnos, expanding its existing sound equipment with two additional speakers. The donation was funded through the sale of the Thermia Project 2025 eco-bags, further strengthening the school’s educational and cultural activities and reaffirming the programme’s commitment to supporting the local community.

Photography by Nefeli Papaioannou