Artists

Zafos Xagoraris

Press release

In the exhibition universe of Zafos Xagoraris, history is turned upside down. Figures and architectures from different eras and contexts mingle here: antiquity meets the Paris Commune, mythology encounters neoclassicism. What they all have in common is that they have lost their footing. Xagoraris has been pursuing the concept behind this series of works since 2019, when he proposed the idea of a fallen monument for a public memorial.

In small-format drawings created with ink and pencil, the Athens-born artist (b. 1963) depicts fallen figures stacked horizontally atop column bases. These works feature toppled sculptures and figures from the worlds of politics, religion and the military: legionnaires with round shields and plumed helmets, Greek deities, Ionic columns, statues of military commanders, and flag-waving infantrymen. In other drawings, columns of various orders are piled up like architectural Jenga towers – just like the figure stacks, they play with the simultaneity of different historical layers. As a viewer, one easily gets lost trying to decipher the identities of the depicted figures. However, Xagoraris intentionally keeps his drawings ambiguous. Only a few motifs are clearly recognisable, such as the Nike of Samothrace, identifiable by her expansive wings. This play with ambiguity shifts the focus away from specific individuals towards the central question of how history is narrated and consolidated through symbols, institutions, as well as political and cultural narratives.

Nevertheless, curiosity about possible models for Xagoraris’ 'fallen figures' is satisfied by three models on display in the exhibition space. Kitsch toys and decorative figures, reminiscent of those found in tourist souvenir shops, have been painted white, skewered horizontally in a 'souvlaki style', and mounted on pedestals. Gladiators, soldiers, deities and rulers provide the direct references for the finely executed drawings. The fact that these are almost exclusively male figures is hardly surprising given millennia of patriarchal social orders and a historiographic practice that systematically centers male actors in collective memory.

In one of his works, the artist builds a direct, albeit subtle, bridge to the exhibition's location in Munich: a reclining figure reveals itself as a nuanced reference to the Maxmonument, which depicts Bavarian King Maximilian II – the brother of Otto I, the first king of Greece. By doing so, the artist draws attention to the 19th century, when Bavaria played a pivotal role in the cultural 'invention' of modern Greece. Many artists of Greek origin travelled to Munich at that time to receive academic training, becoming prominent representatives of the so-called 'Munich School'. At the same time, German architects such as Ernst Ziller had a significant influence on the cityscape of Athens, designing buildings such as the National Archaeological Museum and the Athens Academy. Thus, the appearance of the Greek capital was decisively shaped by German-influenced Neoclassicism in the 19th century. However, the buildings of this era were more than architectural undertakings; they embodied a cultural-political agenda that sought to establish a symbolic continuity with Antiquity. Following the founding of the Greek state, a national narrative took shape—one that continues to rest on key pillars such as the Orthodox Church, the legacy of classical antiquity, and emblematic figures like Alexander the Great. In this framework, architecture became a tangible link to a glorified past, a supposed lifeline to ancient heritage. Neoclassicism thus operated not merely as a stylistic choice, but as a strategic cultural and political tool. It is therefore not surprising that Zafos Xagoraris, from his perspective as a Greek artist, critically reflects on the cultural narratives and architectural strategies that shape national identity.

In addition to the 30-plus drawings and the models, the exhibition features a three-part flag installation as well as an overturned podium. The sculptural work in the form of a speaker’s podium refers to the Agora – the ancient site of assembly and political participation. While it was a space for democratic debate, it was also a place of exclusion; not everyone was permitted to speak, and not all ideas were heard. The artist also addresses questions of power, representation and participation here, pointing to existing power structures in public discourse where, even today, not all voices are given equal visibility or audibility. Three waving flags form another element. This traditional symbol of nationality and patriotism, which is characterised above all by its patterns and colours, is kept entirely in white here – like the podium and the models. The white paint neutralises national references and becomes a visual equaliser. This creates an atmosphere of timelessness and placelessness in an exhibition that, at the same time, plays with so many historical layers.

The statues, busts, flags, and pedestals found in Zafos Xagoraris’ exhibition are symbols of power in all its forms. Generally, they serve to commemorate, perpetuate, and even construct an officially authorized version of history. The artist questions this monumentality and authority by toppling his figures and architectures. His interest lies literally in the tipping point at which systems collapse, power structures shift, official narratives are overturned, and alternative positions and priorities take their place. His conceptual references include the toppling of statues from various historical periods, from the fall of the Vendôme Column during the Paris Commune in 1871, to the post-Soviet destruction of Lenin statues in former Eastern Bloc countries, to the dismantling of Confederate monuments during the Black Lives Matter movement. Starting from specific historical moments and references, the works of Zafos Xagoraris unfold a multifaceted dialogue with the past. And they also carry a hopeful dimension. Established structures begin to falter, authorities become fragile, history is retold. In the state of falling, a space of possibility opens up – for a new beginning and future thinking beyond the forms of power that have shaped our collective memory.

Cordula Schütz