George Condo’s latest works take over the DESTE Foundation in the unsettling exhibition “The Madmen and the Solitaries”, which will be open until October 31, 2024.
Nestled on the Greek island of Hydra, the DESTE Foundation’s headquarters, once a slaughterhouse, now becomes the perfect setting for George Condo’s exploration of society’s marginalized.
While Condo’s characters are fictional, they sharply reflect the psychological and social turmoil of modernity. For DESTE, Condo blends ancient Greek techniques with his distinctive style, resulting in a haunting fusion of minimalist sculptures and deranged figures.
The slaughterhouse, a former site of animal sacrifice, adds an eerie layer to the exhibition, amplifying the themes of madness and isolation.
Condo’s series of works captures fragmented, often grotesque figures on the brink of madness and solitude. Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance to Pop Art, his work revolves around “Psychological Cubism”, blending multiple emotional states into distorted forms.
Famous works such as “Woman with Bear” (1997) and sculptures like “Lunatic” (2009) reflect the instability of human emotions.
Hydra, with its blend of old and new, perfectly complements Condo’s art. The island’s beauty contrasts with the grotesque, humor with tragedy, elements imbued in his practice. “The Madmen and the Solitaries” confronts these contradictions head-on, offering a raw look at a fractured society.
The DESTE Foundation Project Space, Slaughterhouse, is a unique contemporary art exhibition space located on the Greek island of Hydra. Originally a slaughterhouse, the building was donated to the DESTE Foundation in 2008 and carefully restored to preserve its historic character.
Since 2009, the Slaughterhouse has transformed into a thriving art center. Each summer, DESTE invites an artist or collective to develop an exhibition specially designed for the space.
Artists have creative freedom to use the entire interior, including the ceiling, which currently permanently displays a bright yellow sun with a human face by sculptor Jeff Koons.
The Slaughterhouse not only exhibits contemporary art but also embraces its past. The building’s original architectural features have been kept intact, creating a fascinating dialogue between the old and the new.
This combination of industrial history and contemporary artistic expression has made the DESTE Foundation Project Space, Slaughterhouse a must-visit cultural destination for visitors to Hydra.
A leading figure in contemporary art, George Condo (1957) is an American artist known for his unique and provocative style. His work encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking, exploring themes such as identity, psychology, and popular culture.
Condo is characterized by his portraits, often fragmented and distorted, which capture the psychological essence of his subjects. His figures, with caricatured faces and exaggerated expressions, convey a range of emotions, from joy to anguish.
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