Venezia
Palazzo albrizzi-capello associazione culturale italo-tedesca (acit), cannaregio 4118, venice
Utopia a solo exhibition by despoina stathaki
Venezia, Palazzo albrizzi-capello associazione culturale italo-tedesca (acit), cannaregio 4118, venice dal 18/09/2026 fino al 02/10/2026 ( Gratis )
ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, is thrilled to announce the opening of “UTOPIA“, a solo exhibition by the talented Greek artist Despoina Stathaki. This highly anticipated exhibition is curated by Luca Curci and co-curated by Amaride Ferrante, and it will proudly open its doors on September 18, 2026, at 06:00 PM at the prestigious Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello in Venice, running concurrently with the 25th edition of the VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR. The exhibition will be on view until October 02, 2026.
In an era dominated by darkness, Despoina Stathaki turns to the blue of the sea and the Mediterranean light to construct dreamlike, luminous imagery: a gesture that is at once aesthetic and quietly defiant, a form of beauty set against the weight of the present. It is precisely from this tension, between the gravity of the contemporary moment and the enduring human need for transcendence, that UTOPIA emerges: a body of work that becomes a genuine visual and spiritual refuge for its viewers.
At the very heart of the exhibition lies a profound exploration of dreamscapes and ethereal dimensions. Stathaki presents an astonishing body of mixed-media paintings that transport the audience into a dreamy, utopian reality entirely of her own making. Dressed in the majestic, deep, and luminous colors of the Aegean Sea, her works incorporate brilliant materials borrowed from the decorative arts: gold dust, gold leaf, and liquid glass. Layered onto the canvas, these shimmering elements produce a striking three-dimensional effect and a radiant surface that appears to glow from within, almost breathing with its own light.
The selected paintings establish a profound dialogue with the historic Venetian venue that hosts them, mirroring the liquid identity of Venice itself: a city suspended between water and stone, between memory and perpetual transformation. Within this fluid artistic narrative, Stathaki introduces elements that challenge the boundaries of reality: emerging from these luminous backgrounds are mythical creatures, beautifully inspired by both classical Greek mythology and the artist’s own boundless imagination.
These figures become symbols of a spiritual presence, bridging ancient storytelling with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Every brushstroke and every shimmering layer of liquid glass contributes to an intricate composition in which the organic textures of the sea meet the luxury of gold, generating an intense visual tension that captures the psychological and emotional layers of human experience. The exhibition thus unfolds as an immersive sensory journey, inviting viewers to pause and lose themselves in an extraordinary world where ancient heritage, contemporary abstraction, and the infinite essence of the sea gracefully intertwine.