The Paddocks Gallery is pleased to present the group exhibition Where The Wild Things Are, the first exhibition with a guest curator, Alexia Pappa. Participating artists: Yorgos Agrotes, Margarita Bofiliou, Vassiliki Koukou, Jeremy Lacombe, Viktoria Nianiou, Elina Niarchou, Sofia Rozaki, Artemis Valsamaki.
Where The Wild Things Are–what does “wild” mean to each of us, what form can it have, and where does it live?
Inspired by the eponymous children’s book by Maurice Sendak, the exhibition explores the notion of “wildness” as a creation of the imagination, as well as imagination itself as a means of escaping uncomfortable realities.
When Sendak wrote his book in 1963, he told the story of a child travelling to a world filled with strange creatures, confronting fundamental emotions such as anger, fear, and loneliness—ultimately finding reconciliation with himself. This tale unfolds a story of self-discovery and inner exploration, revealing the “wild” and uncharted side of a child’s soul. The exhibition Where The Wild Things Are draws inspiration from the power of imagination to shape stories, worlds, and creations—weaving fantasy and reality.
Alexia Pappa’s curatorial narration highlights works that express vivid, surreal elements, aiming to spark imagination, humour, and playfulness whilst opening a conversation about imagination as a method for understanding and navigating reality. The exhibition brings together works by eight artists, each approaching the emotional aspects of the soul in their way, “revealing”, as Pappa writes, “a raw ‘wild’ expressiveness,” as well as “similarly wild places and characters, shaped by dreams and nightmares emerging from the most uncharted part of the self: the unconscious”
Creating a space where the unknown, the fantastical, and the playful coexist, the exhibition Where The Wild Things Are is an invitation to the wandering of imagination—one that mirrors the adventure of the tale’s young hero.
