ART IN CANADA: Conversations with the Greek Gods of Antiquity

Artemis, Athena (2019)

Conversations with the Greek Gods of Antiquity, an online conversation between Allyson Glenn, Canadian artist and Associate Professor at the Department of Art History at the University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Caterina Pizanias, Independent Curator, is now available for viewing on the Canadian Institute's YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/5oFadQkUo4A . The lecture will be part of a larger series featuring Canadian researchers presenting on their disciplines.

Chariot, Athena (2018)

For the painting project Passages exhibited in Greece in 2019, Glenn used ‘myth’ as a tool to present topics related to land, people and cultural continuity. The artworks explored the complex interweaving of myths and ancient stories, archetypes and current events.  Glenn and Pizanias examined how looking back into the Greek mythological past could inform contemporary issues concerning notions of nation, ethnicity, identity, displacement, migration, and more.

Two Sphynxes (2019)

Glenn’s current series Eclipse (in progress) also features Greek sculptures, figurines, and busts found beyond Greece in distant locations of Italy and Great Britain. World myths and archetypes often share motifs and structures across many cultures. People took their gods and their stories with them to new places, which explains why Greek-inspired ancient sculptures are found in other countries. For example, the Greek myths of Athena and Dionysus became the Roman myths of Minerva and Bacchus, respectively. Inevitably, the physical characteristics of the statues also changed to reflect the characteristics of the people in their adopted homes. In the virtual lecture organized by the CIG, Glenn discusses the topic of allegory, Greek myth archetypes, and her journey to other countries to locate ancient Greek sculptures and investigate how they have transcended and adapted.

Guardians (2019)

The eight-minute virtual lecture, professionally produced by the University of Saskatchewan’s media production team, also includes footage from Glenn’s studio and of her artwork. The video, which will be available for viewing indefinitely, is part of a broader virtual lecture series featuring Canadian researchers discussing topics such as archeology and antiquity, for the purpose of promoting outreach to Greek and Canadian communities.

Zoe Delibasis
Cultural Program Manager