An article by Hélène Colliopoulou on phys.org - Modern sculpture meets ancient Greece in unique island exhibition - reports on the new exhibition by British contemporary artist Antony Gormley on Delos, an uninhabited islet near the Greek island of Mykonos, which marries a UNESCO World Heritage site with contemporary sculpture.

'6 Times Left' by Antony Gormley. Image: Antony Gormley

The new exhibition - including five works specially created for the event - sets his contemporary work among the remains of ancient Greece. The archaeological finds on Delos date back as far as the 3rd millennium BC up to the Hellenic era of classical Greece.

Gormley told AFP at the opening that it was an extraordinary responsibility and privilege - to occupy a site that hasn't been occupied by a living artist for over two thousand years. As a mark of respect accorded to the site, none of Gormley's sculptures have been placed inside the ruins of the ancient sanctuaries of the Greek gods Apollo and Artemis.

The exhibition is intended as a dialogue between contemporary civilisation and the past - 'a conversation about time' - explains Elina Kountouri, who heads up NEON, the non-profit that organised the show along with London's Whitechapel Gallery.

Gormley's exhibition, 'Sight', runs on the island until October 30.

Editor's Note:
I remember Antony Gormley making a speech at the opening of the British Museum 2013 exhibition 'Ice Age Art; arrival of the modern mind' and thinking how appropriate that was - a contemporary sculptor who clearly understood the importance and context of 'ancient' sculpture in relation to modern works, and the interaction that ensues.

Read more:
The Art of the Ice Age: