The Epigraphic Museum, in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of
Athens, presents the exhibition “Ostracism – Ostrakon II: From Ancient Athens to Contemporary Forms of Exclusion”, by the concept/curation of visual artist/curator Maira Stefou.
The exhibition unfolds within the Museum’s permanent galleries, where works by forty
contemporary artists enter into dialogue with ancient inscriptions and sherds (ostraca)
used in the practice of ostracism, from the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Kerameikos.
The starting point of exhibition is the institution of ostracism in ancient Athens,
a democratic measure introduced by Cleisthenes to safeguard political balance and
protect the democratic constitution from the excessive concentration of power in the hands of a single individual.
Through the voting process of “ostrakophoria”, Athenian citizens could decide on the
temporary exile of individuals considered enemies to the city and its institutions.
In ancient Athens, a citizen’s excessive influence or popularity could result in exile through
ostracism, when the body of citizens perceived that individual as a potential threat.
In today’s digitalized world, however, the absence of popularity or of social media
“followers” may be interpreted as a form of social inadequacy and lead to marginalization. This transformation suggests a strikingly ironic historical inversion: where once
excessive visibility and influence brought about exclusion and social isolation, today
invisibility itself may produce the same effect.
This creates a dialogue between the ancient practice of exclusion from the citizen body
and modern forms of social marginalization and exclusion. The practice of ostracism in the digital era manifests itself through multiple, often intangible forms: “social media bans”, “cancelling”, “cyberbullying”, “ghosting”, “blocking”. These are forms of social exclusion that leave no physical traces, yet are deeply inscribed to individual’s experience, affecting one’s identity, visibility, and participation in the public sphere.
The exhibition features authentic ostraka from ancient ostracism procedures, bearing
inscribed names of prominent political figures of ancient Athens, such as Themistocles,
Aristides, Cimon, Nicias, and Alcibiades. These archaeological artefacts enter into
dialogue with works by forty contemporary artists who employ a contemporary visual
language to comment on these shifting forms of exclusion.
The exhibition does not seek to equate the two eras; it rather aims to illuminate their
tensions and analogies, encouraging critical reflection on the relationship between power,
community, and exclusion. Through this encounter between past and present, ostracism
emerges not merely as a historical phenomenon but as an enduring mechanism that
redefines itself according to contemporary social and technological contexts.
Visitors are invited to reflect on their own position within these networks of inclusion and
exclusion and to reconsider what it means today to belong or to be “ostracized.”
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Aggelos Antonopoulos, Kostis Velonis, Babis Venetopoulos, Andreas Vousouras,
Vasilis Gerodimos, Vaggelis Gokas, Giorgos Gyparakis, Charalampos Dermatis,
Sofia Zarari, Anestis Ioannou, Giorgos Kazazis, Nikos Kanoglou,
Jason Karaindros, Leonidas Karampinis, Aris Katsilakis, Panagiotis Kefalas,
Aggeliki Loi, Dimitris Mastoropoulos, Ioannis Melanitis, Manolis Merabeliotis,
Maro Michalakakos, Stavroula Michalopoulou, Kyriakos Mortarakos,
Panagiotis Nezis, Aggelos Papadimitriou, Nikos Papadimitriou, Spyridoula Politi,
Artemis Potamianou, Tasos Sargentis, Nikos Sepetzoglou, Panagiotis Siagris,
Matina Stavropoulou, Maira Stefou, Maritasa Tsimplaki, Kostas Tsolis,
Margarita Tsouloucha, Dimitris Fragakis, Nikos Charalampidis,
Kostas Christopoulos, Dionisis Christofilogiannis.
Information:
Exhibition: Ostracism – Ostrakon II:
From Ancient Athens to Contemporary Forms of Exclusion
Location: Epigraphic Museum, 1 Tositsa St., 10682 Athens, Greece
Concept/Curation: Maira Stefou
Opening Reception: 24 September 2026
Duration: 24 September – 31 December 2026
