Where Nature Meets Matter: Susana Botana & Vassiliki Vayenou On Physis

Physis is a contemporary art exhibition bringing together 12 artists from eight countries to explore nature, materiality and the different ways in which we understand and experience the world around us. At its core is a shared interest in matter, transformation and the relationship between the natural and the human.

The exhibition is co-curated by Susana Botana, a Spanish contemporary sculptor whose practice focuses on materiality, touch and transformation, and Vassiliki Vayenou, an art historian and curator whose work spans exhibitions, artistic collaborations and contemporary art writing. Together, their different perspectives come together to create a dialogue between artists, materials and ideas.

We spoke with Susana and Vassiliki about the meaning behind Physis, the inspiration for bringing these artists together, their collaboration, and the role Athens plays in this international artistic conversation.

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Let’s start with the title. Why “Physis”? What does this word and  concept mean to you, and how does it frame the exhibition as a  whole? 

Susana: We wanted to find a concept that could bring together a group of  artists who approach materiality from very different perspectives. Phýsis (φύσις) is a Greek word usually translated as “nature,” but this  translation falls short. The word derives from the verb phýein (φύειν),  meaning “to sprout,” “to be born,” “to grow,” or “to bring forth.” In its  deeper sense, phýsis refers to that which emerges and develops from  within itself, to the particular way in which something comes into being  and unfolds. 

Phýsis carries within it the idea of sprouting, unfolding and coming into  being. In this sense, the word is much closer to “emergence/unfolding” than to our modern understanding of “nature” as something external to  the human being. 

Susana: The 12 participating artists, coming from 8 different countries, come together in this Athens exhibition around a shared question: what does it  mean today to work with matter in a world increasingly mediated by  technology? 

We wanted to bring together artists who approach this question from  completely different perspectives, materials and artistic languages. We  were interested in creating a space where these differences could coexist  and enter into dialogue. 

What we hoped would emerge from this encounter was precisely this  diversity that creates a more complex and pluralistic understanding:  different rhythms, textures, colours and ways of engaging with matter. 

Vassiliki: Through their artworks, the artists contribute a very different and  unique interpretation of nature, reminding us of her inexhaustible  grandeur, her visible and hidden powers, the physical processes that  influence our lives in -still- unknown ways. The theme of nature has been a constant point of interest and exploration of the artists throughout their longstanding artistic practices and the works shown are the result of in depth studies and research on materials that come from different parts of  the world, geographical locations with which we are not so familiar,  various concepts that reveal the strong influence of nature on a material,  physical, spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical level. 

Susana: My perspective is much more complete now that I am approaching  the exhibition not only as an artist, but also as a curator. It has given me  an ever deeper respect for the work of curators. I spend most of my time  in this project acting as a curator and I have discovered how delicate,  precise and attentive this work needs to be. 

At times, I am also lucky to have Vassiliki as my curator. This allows me, for a moment, to step back into the position of the artist and have  someone listen to my project and to the way I am approaching it. I find  this exchange extremely valuable. 

I have always believed that the curator and the artist form a team, that one cannot truly exist without the other. Experiencing both roles within the  same project has made me believe this even more strongly. Moving  between the two perspectives has given me a greater understanding of  how an exhibition is built, but also of the trust, dialogue and flexibility that are essential to making it work. 

Susana: My proposal, “Hand Stones” is an intimate project in which I  explore the limits of the marble. The starting point was almost practical: I wanted to see if I could transport stone sculptures in a suitcase, haha. But  this simple idea led me to something more meaningful: working with  stone at the scale of my hand. 

With each sculpture, I try to remove as much weight (and thickness) as  possible, pushing the marble towards a state of fragility. I am interested in the contradiction of creating something delicate and almost weightless from a material that is traditionally perceived as heavy, raw and even  masculine. 

With “Hand Stones” I want to explore this relationship between the body  and matter bringing stone down to the scale of the hand. In this action, the stone becomes something that can be approached not through its  monumentality, but through touch, intimacy and vulnerability. I am very interested in seeing how these intimate sculptures will interact  with the works of the other artists and with the audience in the gallery.  how the works will speak to each other and how the audience will move  between different scales, materials and physical experiences. 

Susana: Athens is where we met and where our relationship began, so it felt  natural that this project should also emerge here. We both have a strong  connection to Athens: Vassiliki through being Greek and me, as a  Spaniard feeling that I belong here. 

In Athens, nature has literally sculpted the city. The three great hills:  Philopappos, the Acropolis and Lycabettus rise within the urban  landscape and the city has developed around them and the Aeagean sea.  There is a constant dialogue between the natural landscape and the built  environment, between the ancient and the contemporary. And then there is the rest of Greece. There are the great mountains where  monks have sought retreat, the first theatres and sanctuaries and the  islands where you can feel as you have reached the end of the world.  Places that are still wild, where you reconnect with something essential:  the sun, the stones, the olive trees, the tomatoes, the goat’s cheese. For me, as a Spanish artist, Athens embodies nature in a very particular  way. There is a certain rawness and beauty in equal measure, a kind of  physical intensity that makes this encounter feel completely right here.  Physis is about our relationship with matter, the body and what emerges  from within and Athens is a place where all of these things feel very  present and tangible. 

Vassiliki: TAF is located in the heart of the historical center of Athens and  has established itself as a vibrant, welcoming and informed venue for the  arts of all kinds. The very history and architecture of the building itself  constitute a typical, and nowadays extremely rare, example of a 19th century inner Athenian courtyard. Its unique aura and charm, the  professional administration of its project manager Alexandra Malakasioti  in all stages of the production of the exhibitions, the wonderful rooms  renovated with respect to their heritage, as well as its rich cultural  program, render it an ideal space for exhibiting art, both for Greek and  international artists. Almost all of the artists of the show Φύσις (Physis) exhibit in Athens for the first time and their works will be enjoyed and  appreciated by visitors from all over the world who frequent the premises  of TAF. 

Vassiliki: Living and experiencing the Athenian and Berlin art scenes is a  blessing for any art historian and curator, as the constant introduction to  and exchange of ideas and practices provokes the formation of interesting conceptual and aesthetic fusions. Berlin has the advantage of being a  historical, established art metropolis with a great number of museums,  international artists, fairs, prestigious galleries and cultural infrastructure,  advancing the exposure to a multitude of cultural stimuli in general. The  results from processing this great influx of art information is a big gift for any curatorial work. On the other hand, the enthusiasm and energetic  spirit of the alternative art venues that existed during even 10 years ago - not to mention the glorious 1980s to 2000- seem to be losing ground, and everything is becoming more institutionalized. In Athens, I can still find a sense of spontaneity and shared bonds, along with some exhibitions that  include inspired and important artworks. 

Vassiliki: Different aspects of our relationship to nature are to be deduced  throughout the show, some artworks address the issue of the destruction 

of nature directly, but most of them reveal the power and beauty of nature in more subtle, encoded or implied ways. Some of the works expose the  traits of nature’s own materiality and physicality, others remind us of our  connection to its purifying powers and the fact that we are only a part of  the wholeness of nature and not its ruler or owner. The artists of the show observe closely the processes of nature and at the same time reveal ways that exalt our human spirit within nature’s wild essence and poetry of  existence. 

Vassiliki: The diversity of the media and concepts of the works, the dialogue  that will develop among them and the free associations that will be  created will form the conditions in which this show can be experienced in a meaningful way. Our hope is that the contact of the visitors with the  works will make it clear that the wisdom of nature’s operation is the  ultimate key to our healing: what we urgently need in our era is to  decrease our current crazy tempo, turn our gaze to what we tend -or  choose- to ignore, pay attention to the small and the fragile, spend time in silence. If the show succeeds in transmitting the importance of this idea  and convinces the visitors to adapt it in their everyday life conduct, it will have reached one of its main goals.

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A big thank you to Susana Botana and Vassiliki Vayenou for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing the ideas, inspiration and creative thinking behind Physis. We hope this conversation offers a glimpse into the exhibition and encourages you to experience it for yourself.

We hope to see you all there! For more information about the exhibition, dates and venue, CLICK HERE!