LOCATION
FORUM
LAMENTUM TERRAE
Installation
Set against the backdrop of the largest wildfire ever recorded in the EU at Dadia National Forest in 2023 (Thrace, Greece) the reactivation of this centuries-old ritual of Dionysian worship becomes a process of rebirth and revitalization of the earth’s natural cycles. A plea for assuming our collective responsibility in the face of ecological catastrophe.
In search of a blossom on a charred branch.
The rite of a spring that may never come…
In memory of the 18 asylum seekers who lost their lives during the fire.
LÉLLÉ DEMERTZI
Lelle Demertzi is a multidisciplinary artist whose work intertwines environmental research, mythology, and performance to address urgent ecological issues. Engaging with themes of loss, resilience, and ancestral knowledge, her practice explores the intersections of landscape, memory, and cultural heritage. Through film, movement, and ritual, Lelle creates immersive experiences that invite reflection on our relationship with nature. In this interview, we discuss Lamentum Terrae, a project that mourns wildfire devastation while seeking pathways to renewal.
INTERVIEW
In her interview, Léllé Demertzi explains how she uses her work to artistically process the destruction caused by forest fires and the possibility of renewal. She uses the Dionysian ritual as a symbol of cyclical regeneration and combines the past with the present to emphasise humanity’s responsibility for the environment.
Link to Interview
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Berlin (de), LAMENTUM TERRAE Radialsystem and Performances
2021 Ghana (gh), BODY OF WATER Open House Studio Accra
2020 Ghana (gh), THE WOLRD BETWEEN Nubuke Foundation Accra
2020 THE FIRST WOMAN The Invisible City Online
2019 Ghana (gh), E C H O Chale Wote Street Arts Festival Accra
2019 Berlin (de), T A P E I FLUGWERK Kunstquartier Bethanien
2018 Berlin (de), DES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES Κunsthalle am Hamburger Platz
2018 Berlin (de), A VOICE OF SILENCE Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz
2018 Athen (gr), COMPANY (1979) Kunstquartier Bethanien
2017 Athen (gr), LIGHT DIALOGUES National Theater Experimental Stage -1
2017 Athen (gr), MA Platform of Performing Arts META
2016 Athen (gr), DID I INTEND TO DO THIS WORK? Performance Biennale
2016 Athen (gr), PROMENANDE Athens Video Dance Project
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 London (uk), TATE LATE October: Electronic Life
2023 London (uk), DIGITAL RESEARCH 50th anniversary of the British Library
2022 Lissabon (pt) HAMMER TIME Zaratan Art space
2022 Athen (gr), IN(DE)FNITE SELFHOODS Citronne Galleries
2021 New York (us), I BELONG HERE Korean Cultural Center
2020 Lagos (ni), HOME MUSEUM 11th Edition Lagos Photo: Festival
2019 Berlin (de), PERFEKTE ZUSTÄNDE X-LANE
2019 Berlin (de), WAITING ROOMS CTM Festival
2018 Salzburg (at), 21 PROPOSITIONS Salzburger Kunstverein
2018 Berlin (de), EPHEMERAL LANDSCAPE Kunstquartier Bethanien
2018 Luzern (ch), ECHO Hochschule Luzern Kunst & Design
London (uk), CURATORIAL WORK 2024 Climate Informatics
2024 London (uk), LIVING WITH MACHINES 10-part docuseries
2022 Athen (gr), IN(DE)FNITE SELFHOODS I & II group show Citronne Galleries
2018 Berlin (de), INSIDE OUT: TRACING THE PROCESS artist talk series
PRIZES
2022 ‘Neustart Kultur’ Award, Kunstfond Foundation
2020 Stavrios Niarchos Foundation ARTWORKS Visual Arts Fellowship for Emerging Artists
2019 Goethe Institute Project Funding, for the performance e c h o
2018 MARt Stam Foundation Project Funding, for the performance Company (1979)
2018 Salzburg Summer Academy of Arts, Scholarship for workshop with Ei Arakawa
2018 MARt Stam Foundation Project Funding, for the video Notes on Presence
2016 National Technical University Athens, Kaftatzoglou Prize summa cum laude
2012 National Technical University Athens, Papakyriakopolos Prize summa cum laude
Residencies 2024 Care Ecologies, G&A Mamidakis Foundation Crete, GR
2024 Forecast FORUM, Mentorship for Audacious Minds Berlin, DE
2021 Camargo Foundation Cassis, FR
2019 Chale Wote Festival Accra, GH
PUBLICATIONS
Still Life: A space in motion (Conference Proceedings, Genesis Project, Approaching
the work of Dimitris Papaioannou: From the familiar to the universal, in print)
Artist Intro: Mona Hatoum (moma.org, December 2021)
Artist Intro: MARlene Dumas (moma.org, June 2021)
The Ever Young Photo:grapher James Barnor (post.moma.org, June 2020)
Opus Null by Hans Arp (transl. from German, Poetics Magazine N°21, Summer 2020)
Beckett Bacon: A Juxtaposition (Master Thesis, KHB, July 2019)
Poems by Paul Klee (transl. from German, Poetics Magazine N°19, Summer 2018)
Sounds by Wassily Kandinsky (transl. from German Poetics N°17, Summer 2017)
STILL LIFE, A Space in Motion (Diploma Thesis, NTUA, September 2016)
STUDIES
2024 London (uk), School Of Economics: Ethics of AI
2023 Oxford (uk), Digital Humanities Oxford Summer School
2017 — 2019 Berlin (de), Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee: Master Raumstrategien
2011 — 2017 Athens (gr), National Technical University of Athens: Master of Architecture,
2015 — 2016 Athens (gr), Athens Conservatory Drama School: Acting
BIO
She lives and works in London (uk)
Born in Athens (gr)
LINKS
REFENCES
