Penny Siopis. For Dear Life. A Retrospective

The exhibition For Dear Life. A Retrospective, presented at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST), was the first major museum retrospective in Europe dedicated to Penny Siopis, one of the most significant artistic voices of her generation. Spanning five decades of practice, the exhibition traced her pioneering work across painting, installation, and film, addressing themes of colonialism, apartheid, sexism, vulnerability, and memory. The exhibition identity and design were developed to reflect the balance between the conceptual and the material that characterizes Siopis’ practice. Visual and spatial elements emphasized clarity, resonance, and sensitivity, guiding audiences through her major series, from the Cake and History paintings to her celebrated experimental films and the monumental work Will. The design framework created an environment where personal and collective histories could be experienced in their full depth and complexity.