INTERLUDES by Angela Svoronou
We are pleased to present Interludes (2003–2019), a solo exhibition by Angela Svoronou, opening on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 19:00 to 22:00. The exhibition will run until November 22, with opening hours Wednesday to Friday, 16:00–20:00, and Saturday, 12:00–16:00.
In Interludes, Angela Svoronou explores the beauty of the in-between — moments suspended between action and stillness. “This series consists of what could be easily described as portraits of everyday people, in their homes or workplaces, in what appear to be everyday life scenes,” she explains. “I stage my pictures in order to capture reality in the moments between action and stillness. Like the people in 17th-century Dutch paintings, they are quietly absorbed in the occupations that constitute everyday life.”
Her work engages deeply with the concept of the “absorptive mode,” a term coined by artist Jeff Wall, who describes figures “immersed in their own world and activities, displaying no awareness of the construct of the picture or the presence of the viewer.” Svoronou’s photographs embody this quality — they depict subjects who are not performing but simply being, allowing viewers to enter their quiet spaces as unseen observers.
“I see the absorptive mode as a way of creating a narrative wherein the viewer does not focus on the person depicted but is free to wander around in the picture,” she adds. “The sitter is integrated, almost hidden in the general setup of the picture and is by no means its central point.”
As curator Magdalene Keaney of the National Portrait Gallery, London, notes:
“Angela Svoronou’s staged portraits engage with the ongoing dialogue between the found and the constructed image, exploring naturalism and narrative in contemporary photography. Her work resonates with Jeff Wall’s concept of absorption, where figures exist fully within their own worlds, unaware of being observed.”
About the artist
Angela Svoronou was born in Athens and studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Art before moving to London, where she earned MAs in Photography (London College of Communication) and Fine Art (University of East London). A recipient of scholarships from the Alexander Onassis Foundation, Lilian Voudouris Foundation, and the Greek Ministry of Education, she has represented Greece at the 13th Biennial of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean and exhibited widely in Greece and internationally — including at the Rencontres d’Arles, Thessaloniki Photobiennale, and Athens Photo Festival. Her work has been shown in institutions such as the Benaki Museum, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, and the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki.
Currently teaching photography at the Athens School of Fine Art, Svoronou continues to contribute to contemporary visual culture through exhibitions, lectures, residencies, and commissions.