“Hellenic heads“features six large busts, each standing just over six feet tall when the pedestals are added.
They all have a cultural connection with Greece. “If you are a Greek American”, says the artist Georges Petrides“it reminds you of our heritage or parts of our heritage that you should be aware of.”
Petrides dove deep into historical research, focusing on six significant periods of Greek history spanning 2,500 years.
He also looked to his family for inspiration.
“Blue is my mother, green is my wife, tormented is me, because I get into those moods,” Petrides told NBC Chicago.
He used himself as a point of reference, drawing inspiration from the Nazi occupation of Greece in the 1940s, experienced by his parents.
“That’s the kind of memory that gets passed down to you, and you start to understand who your parents are, who you are, who your society is,” Petrides said.
In fact, one of the objectives of this exhibition is to make connections between the past and the present.
“When you walk in you get a sense of women’s roles throughout history, whether it’s the hard times during war or today’s heroines, you really get a sense of women’s empowerment through this show,” said Elizabeth Niarchos Neukirch, spokeswoman for the Hellenic National Museum. .
Neukirch added that the busts were created using a 3D printer, which interprets a clay model and adds any additional materials needed.
“Hellenic Heads” will be exhibited at Hellenic National Museum in Greektown until December 10.
