Aleksandra Waliszewska's 'Irruption of Antiquity' Opens at Benaki Museum, Athens
On display at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece, until September 27, 2026, is "Irruption of Antiquity" by Aleksandra Waliszewska. Curated by Alison M. Gingeras, this exhibition showcases 16 of Waliszewska's paintings alongside artifacts spanning from Neolithic Greece to the present. Born in Warsaw in 1976, Waliszewska is known for her dark imagery featuring strong female figures set in dystopian environments. The exhibition's title alludes to Aby Warburg's incomplete Mnemosyne Atlas, initiated in 1928. Gingeras highlights how contemporary artists, including Waliszewska, draw inspiration from historical influences, particularly Polish folklore. A comprehensive catalogue of the exhibition is accessible to attendees.
Key facts
- Aleksandra Waliszewska: Irruption of Antiquity runs through September 27, 2026, at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece.
- The exhibition is curated by Alison M. Gingeras and spans two floors of the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture.
- It features 16 paintings by Waliszewska, each paired with objects from Neolithic Greece, classical antiquity, Byzantium, and modern Greece.
- Aleksandra Waliszewska was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1976 and trained at the city's Academy of Fine Arts.
- The exhibition title references Aby Warburg's unfinished Mnemosyne Atlas, begun in 1928 and left incomplete at his death in 1929.
- Warburg divided his material into 12 thematic chapters tracing the Renaissance back to classical Greece and Rome across more than a thousand images.
- The show groups works by theme rather than chronology, treating antiquity as ongoing pressure rather than inherited heritage.
- A detailed exhibition catalogue accompanies the show.
Entities
Artists
- Aleksandra Waliszewska
- Alison M. Gingeras
- Aby Warburg
Institutions
- Benaki Museum
- Benaki Museum of Greek Culture
- Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
- DESTE Foundation
- Most Magazine
- Culture.pl
- DailyArt Magazine
- Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Locations
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Athens
- Greece
- Rome
- Italy