FILO-DIFFUSIONE: TWO EXHIBITIONS IN ATHENS EXPLORING THE THREAD BETWEEN MATER AND LOGOS
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the Gramma_Epsilon Gallery in Athens (Agathonos 6) will inaugurate the group exhibition Filo-diffusione, curated by Paolo Cortese.
The project takes inspiration from the women-centered exhibitions organized by Mirella Bentivoglio in the 1980s on the theme of the thread, reinterpreting and updating that seminal research for the present day. The show brings together works by historically established artists — many of whom took part in Bentivoglio’s exhibitions over forty years ago — alongside younger generations who have embraced the same artistic and conceptual concerns, developing them in step with the passage of time and the evolution of creative tools and languages.
Conceived as a retrospective investigation allowing for an open and impartial reading of the works, Filo-diffusione unfolds through two distinct exhibitions.
The first, Filo-diffusione_Ə, on view from November 13, 2025, to January 31, 2026, features works in which the use of thread is closely tied to an inner exploration—an excavation into the archetypal dimension associated with the mater (maternal)principle. The pieces reveal a profound need to delve into the inner world in an attempt to define an autonomous and solid identity — one that does not reject the traits traditionally linked to dependence, but rather reclaims and transforms them into a source of strength through a shift in perspective.
Filo-diffusione_Ə presents works by Mirella Bentivoglio, Francesca Cataldi, Anna Esposito, Amelia Etlinger, Elisabetta Gut, Maria Lai, Carolina Lombardi, Virginia Lorenzetti, Franca Maranò, Valeria Melandri, Gisella Meo, Renata Prunas, Lilli Romanelli, Franca Rovigatti, Alba Savoi, Maria Jole Serreli, and Franca Sonnino.
The second exhibition, Filo-diffusione_&, running from February 5 to March 28, 2026, marks a shift in tone: here the artists move freely and confidently within the dimension of the logos, using thread as a medium to tell stories, denounce injustice and oppression, “draw the world,” and preserve the fragile space of memory. The distinction between the two sections is not chronological but arises from a curatorial reading and dialogue among the works themselves. This conceptual division is reflected in the choice of symbols — the “reversed e” and the ampersand — which respectively embody the ideas of inclusion and conjunction. These are the guiding principles of Gramma_Epsilon, a gallery whose name in Greek literally means “the letter e.”
Filo-diffusione_& will feature works by Mirella Bentivoglio, Francesca Cataldi, Anna Esposito, Elisabetta Gut, Susanne Kessler, Gisella Meo, Francesca Nicchi, Antonietta Orsatti, Astra Papachristodoulou, Renata Prunas, Franca Rovigatti, Anna Maria Sacconi, Marilena Scavizzi, Greta Schödl, and Franca Sonnino.
For the occasion, Maria Jole Serreli will create a site-specific installation paying homage to the area and the building that houses the gallery—originally dedicated to the trade of fabrics—thus honoring both women and textile as foundational elements of Greek cultural identity.
The Gramma_Epsilon Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
For information: +30 210 3231867, info@grammaepsilon.com, www.grammaepsilon.com
