Following the great success of the previous collaboration between the Municipality of Heraklion and the “The other Arcadia” Foundation, in the exhibition held in 2019 entitled “The Collector’s Eye”, the Sotiris Felios Collection returns to the Basilica of St Mark’s in Heraklion with an exhibition that will embrace the monument’s space and significantly enhance its digital footprint, promoting the country’s cultural heritage internationally.

The exhibition “A look affirming that everything you have heard about painting is true”, is a new presentation of the works of the Sotiris Felios Collection, this time curated by the collector himself. It brings together 44 paintings created since 2000 by 32 artists, unravelling the thread of the evolution of contemporary Greek painting.
Guided by the eye and the instinct of the collector, the exhibition introduces to the public, within a free narrative form, representative works from the collection, with the main body of the exhibition comprising works of contemporary figurative art. Through the richness of the directions and styles of the works, the significant range of contemporary Greek painting in space and time is highlighted.

Alecos Levidis notes in the forward of the bilingual catalogue accompanying the exhibition “The collection provides a hybrid meeting point for Realism, Magical Realism, Photorealism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Symbolism, the search for identity, the understanding of the concept of alienation and many other elements. However, the common denominators are realistic representation and anthropocentricity. Sotiris, with his amorous disposition towards art, demanding “look” and unyielding attention has crafted a personal narrative within the framework of an ever-renewing and fluid tradition that goes well beyond the two hundred years of history of modern Greek painting.”
During the exhibition, the Sotiris Felios Collection in collaboration with the international art platform Google Arts & Culture presents the digital version of the exhibition, giving the opportunity to a wider audience to visit it virtually, through the 3D visualisation Pocket Gallery. The Collection on Google Arts & Culture allows those who feel like citizens of the world to observe what is happening through a different lens.

Artists: Io Angeli, Tasos Aridas, Kalliopi Asargiotaki, Emmanouil Bitsakis, Christos Bokoros, Chronis Botsoglou, Stefanos Daskalakis, Maria Filopoulou, Stratigoula Giannicopoulou, Dimitris Hanntzopoulos, Alexandros Issaris, Christophoros Katsadiotis, Thepfilos Katsipanos, Konstantinos Kerestetzis, Irene Komninou, Alexis Kyritsopoulos, Alecos Levidis, Thanassis Makris, Michalis Manoussakis, Tassos Mantzavinos, Tassos Missouras, Achilleas Papacostas, Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos, Kostas Papanikolaou, Vassilis Papanikolaou, Konstas Papatriantafyllopoulos, Giorgos Rorris, Edouard Sacaillan, Pavlos Samios, Marios Spiliopoulos, Anna Maria Tsakali, Marilitsa Vlachaki