On Tuesday, February 18, the large-scale artwork “Second Coming” (2023) by Costas Tsoclis was presented at the Athens Concert Hall.
The artwork will remain on display in the Alexandra Trianti Hall Foyer for a limited time, with free admission to the public, thanks to the generous contribution of the Costas Tsoclis Museum in Tinos and ARTION Galleries.
The event was introduced by Nikos Pimplis, President of the Board of Directors of the Athens Concert Hall Organization, Anna Kafetsi, Visual Arts Advisor of the Concert Hall, and the artist himself.
In his speech, Nikos Pimplis highlighted the natural progression of Costas Tsoclis’ artistic journey, which began in 2013 with the screening of his film on his exhibition at Spinalonga and continued in 2015 with the major retrospective exhibition celebrating his 85th birthday, titled “Elements for the Creation of Possible Masterpieces,” which featured 85 new works. His artistic path further evolved in 2018 with the performance “Tsoclis, We”, as part of the Athens Digital Arts Festival. He expressed his gratitude to the artist for the generous loan of his work, providing all visitors to the Athens Concert Hall the opportunity to engage with “Second Coming.”
Anna Kafetsi emphasized Costas Tsoclis’ choice to present his work in one of the public spaces of the Concert Hall and spoke about the hidden allegorical message behind it. She described it as a work that invites contemplation from a solitary standpoint, prompting us to question whether it depicts the end of the world, an imaginative vision of an eschatological paradise, or a suspended uncertainty that evokes connections with texts such as John’s “Revelation”, as well as seminal works of art history, including Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” fresco in the Sistine Chapel, and the eponymous works by Hieronymus Bosch and Kandinsky in the early 20th century.
Finally, Costas Tsoclis took the floor: “I felt good, I felt that I could truly connect with you. Every day, I question whether what I create is meaningful, whether it is worth discussing. Whether it can reconnect me with the world—a world that I sometimes failed to understand and other times longed for so intensely that just the thought of it makes me feel wounded. I miss people. But no, that’s not quite right. I don’t miss people. It is Man that is missing.”
