The much-anticipated installation The Messenger opened at the Hellenic Museum last week.
The striking new artwork is a new commission by the Hellenic Museum from artist Sam Jinks. The work is inspired by sculpture of the goddess Iris which was once found on the west pediment of the Parthenon and is now in the British Museum.
The Messenger is the second major art commission by the Hellenic Museum, following the extraordinary ONEIROI collection by Melbourne based artist Bill Henson. Both installations are unique in that they commission locally based artists as well as exploring and inspiring a dialogue between the aesthetics of the ancient Greek past and today.
The exhibition was formally opened by Steve Dimopoulous MP who congratulated the Museum on their dedication to the preservation and promotion of Greek cultural heritage and their commitment to developing ongoing and meaningful partnerships between Greece and Melbourne.
Also speaking at the launch were Irini Geroulanou, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Benaki Museum, Haris Siampanis, Ben-aki Museum CEO, John Tatou-lis, CEO Hellenic Museum and Hellenic Museum curator Sarah Craig.
The commission was made possible through the support of the Victorian Government and philanthropists Peter and Mart Mitrakas. It was produced as a part of a cross-cultural partnership bet-ween the Hellenic Museum and the Benaki Museum, Athens.
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