NEW YORK – A reception for Greek artist Lilia Ziamou’s latest exhibition Body Politic was held at New York University’s Silver Center for Arts and Science in the Silverstein Lounge on October 16.

In spite of the inclement weather, friends and fans of the artist attended to congratulate Ziamou on the impressive exhibition which runs through November 10 at NYU’s Kimmel Center Windows Gallery, located at the corner of West 3rd Street and LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village. The exhibition is free and open to the public and may be viewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The exhibition includes 12 site-specific installations by NYU alumna Ziamou (Tisch ITP, Class of 2013). The sculptural and two-dimensional works offer unique interpretations of the human body, meant to deconstruct and subvert viewers’ perception of reality.

Curated by NYU’s Kimmel Windows Gallery Lead Curator, Pamela Jean Tinnen, Lilia Ziamou: body politic /bade pal-tik encourages us to consider what it means to be human in a world where technology saturates everyday life and scrambles our perceptions of “reality.”

“Here we evoke the concept of ‘the Body Politic’ through the lens of 21st century connectivity. Throughout the exhibition’s thought-provoking display, we examine the known and unknown ramifications technology may have on our physical bodies, our collective psyche, and humanity as a whole. These 12 site-specific installations offer a visual interrogation of the complex struggles between the individual self and modern society as a whole,” said Tinnen.

The exhibition unfolds in two related but distinct sections. Works in the four-part installation along West 3rd Street are based on a 3D scan of actual human hip-bone anatomy. Through successive physical and digital processes, Ziamou transforms and recreates the bone’s anatomy.

In The Bone as Body, the dissected bone-form sculptures maintain an esoteric quality reminiscent of their prototype (in texture and composition). In the accompanying installations, the bone form undergoes a radical metamorphosis, from that of a pattern to an aggregated dress-sculpture. These sculptures resonate with hauntingly abject attributes that evoke human flesh and bone. They are presented in concert with fashion sketches that informed Ziamou’s elaborate artistic process. By retaining the bone’s observable essence, these installations invite viewers to rethink existing preconceptions of physical materiality and thus to explore alternative interpretations of the human form.

To create the digital compositions featured in eight windows along LaGuardia Place, Ziamou combines and manipulates hundreds of close-up photographs of her sculptural works. These compositions allow her to further explore ideas related to fragmentation, transformation, and distorted realities.

“By reimagining and reconstructing body fragments, I am constantly exploring and intrigued by the ways we can challenge existing constraints of form, materials, and processes” said Ziamou. “I am interested in the dialogue about how seeing differently unlocks new meanings.”

The exhibition will be on display from September 23 to November 10. Lilia Ziamou: body politic /bade pal-tik/ is part of NYU’s Art in Public Places initiative, sponsored by the Office of the Provost.

Among those present at the reception were the Consulate General of Greece in New York Cultural Attache and Public Relations Officer Evelyn Kanellea, Aris and Marilena Christodoulou, Nikos and Mimi Danilatou, and Peter and Ellen Constantinides.

More information about Lilia Ziamou and her artwork is available online: www.lilia-artspace.com.