In response to the devastating wildfires of July 2025, which affected the natural landscape of Kythira—and particularly the Mylopotamos area—the initiatives «After the Ashes – Art, Memory, and Rebirth in the Burnt Landscapes of Kythira»are aimed at reconnecting people with their homeland and showcasing the island's unique natural and cultural heritage.".
Through art, environmental awareness, and the active participation of the local community, the initiative’s Pasiphae AMKE It creates a space for gathering, creativity, and communication. A space where the place and the people who were tested by the fire become an occasion for reunion, remembrance, creativity, and a hopeful look toward the future.
The activities that will take place from 21 to 31 August 2026, combine different artistic media — dance Butoh, music, video art, visual art installations and participatory workshops — creating a multisensory experience that unfolds against the natural and cultural backdrop of Kythira.
The activities are divided into four parts:
- August 21–31, at Markato – Chora’s Old Market: An art exhibition titled «Archives of Ash,» consisting of two parts:
- Art Exhibition «After the Ashes»
Photographs, snapshots of the performance, and the installation «Archives of Ash,» as a curated visual interpretation of the experience in the scorched landscape.
- Participatory Community Exhibition «Common Ground – Memory and Rebirth.».
The exhibition features photographs, artworks, and short recordings created through the participation of residents, photographers, artists, children, and everyone who took part in the workshops.
- August 22 & 23, at the Old English School in Kato Chora:
Dance video (dance video) titled «After the Ashes: A Ritual for the Scorched Earth.». A poetic, cinematic portrayal of Butoh dance in a burned forest, featuring drone footage and live improvisation on the double bass and lyre.
- Live Performance Titled «After the Ashes: Sensory” Traces». A site-specific performance by three dancers accompanied by live music, in which the body becomes a vessel for memory, loss, and the return to life.
- August 25 at the Mylopotamos Elementary School: Environmental Lecture
«Mylopotamos: Before and After"»
Speaker: Irini Vallianatou, Ph.D. in Biology, Systematic Botanist and Phytosociologist
- August 26 in Mylopotamos: Environmental Walk
Walk and herbal tea ceremony in Mylopotamos with Sarah Skoptsi and Irini Vallianatou, as an introduction to memory and the rebirth of nature.
- August 27 in Mylopotamos: An experiential art workshop for all ages.
Next up are art workshops for children and adults using natural materials, followed by a photo shoot of the artwork in nature, linking the landscape with the creative process.
«After the Ashes,» we gather on this wounded land to keep the memory alive and to create, together, a space for whatever may be reborn.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Admission is free to the group exhibition and the environmental lecture.
- Admission requires a ticket for the workshops and the performance and video art evenings, as well as for the environmental workshops and the botanical walk.
Admission: 15 euros.
- Tickets will be available at the «Vivliogatos» bookstore in Livadi, or by phone at 6975522928, or at kythera@gmail.com.
The «From the Ashes—Art, Memory, and Rebirth in the Burned Landscapes of Kythira» initiatives are being carried out under the patronage and with financial support from:
- Ministry of Culture – «Creative Greece» program»
- Association of Public Works of Mylopotamos
- Potamos Recreational Cultural Association
- Kythira Foundation for Culture & Development (KIPA)
Communications Sponsor
KYTHERANEWS.GR
ORGANIZATION
PASIFAI AMKE – Georgia Tseri – Iphigenia Vogiatzaki – Drosia Tseri
Production Coordinator & technical supervision
Nastasia Beikov – Tony Segers
ARTISTIC TEAM
- Georgia Tseri
- Iphigenia Vogiatzaki
- SÔMA Collective, Eliza Soroga, Thodoris Ziarkas, Marianna Tsagarakis, Iphigenia Vogiatzaki, Georgia Tseri, Special guest Vasiliki Mazarakis, violin
- Syn–vocals, Valia and Evi Kritari (singing), Konstantinos Rozis (clarinet)
MARKETING – CONTACT USΑ
Stamatina Stratigou
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Themis Dervenzas
