"There’s a persistent spirituality to Samaras’ work, a sense of the pain, awe, and transcendence of suffering. The urgency of her touch and elasticity of her forms bring to mind El Greco... a nod to her Greek heritage. Samaras exults in the expressive and tempestuous emotionality of paint." Essay commissioned for the exhibition "Transcending Bodies" Patricia Miranda, Artist, Curator, and Educator (Read the full text below)
"Her work is notable for its combination of technical freedom and emotional formalism... a visual parable of emotion through which we can achieve the best of what we are. In a large way, her art is about transcendence—the need to move beyond the binds of circumstance." Jonathon Goodman, Art Critic and Writer Tussle Magazine
"She shifts her focus to the personal and turns her activist energy inward... giving viewers an intimate glimpse into her journey toward self-actualization." — Mary Birmingham, Curator, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey Essay commissioned for the exhibition "Unbound" at the Paterson Museum (Read the full review here)
"Her work is notable for its combination of technical freedom and emotional formalism... a visual parable of emotion through which we can achieve the best of what we are. In a large way, her art is about transcendence—the need to move beyond the binds of circumstance." Jonathon Goodman, Art Critic and Writer Tussle Magazine
"She shifts her focus to the personal and turns her activist energy inward... giving viewers an intimate glimpse into her journey toward self-actualization." — Mary Birmingham, Curator, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey Essay commissioned for the exhibition "Unbound" at the Paterson Museum (Read the full review here)
Press: Euclid’s Finite to Zeno’s Infinite: Hellenic-American Women Artists
March 4 – March 31, 2026
Consulate General of Greece in New York,
69 East 79th Street, NY
Press
March 4 – March 31, 2026
Consulate General of Greece in New York,
69 East 79th Street, NY
Press
‘Euclid’s Finite to Zeno’s Infinite: Hellenic-American Women Artists’ Opens in NYC - The National Herald
Greek‑American Women Artists Present “From the Finite to the Infinite” in New York - Greek News USA
Μεταξύ Ευκλείδη και Ζήνωνα: Η Τέχνη των Ελληνοαμερικανίδων στο Ελληνικό Προξενείο | ekirikas.com
Greece: National Herald Link (in Greek)
*Between Euclid and Zeno: The Art of Greek-American Women at the Greek Consulate (In Greek)
By Gianna Katsageorgis, March 14, 2026
Something strangely beautiful happened at the General Consulate of Greece in New York recently. Not an ordinary wine event that ends quickly and words that are forgotten faster. But something more lively. An exhibition that tried to do something almost impossible: to fit ancient Greek philosophy into the chaos of contemporary art. And indeed, through the eyes of nineteen Greek-American women artists.
The title of the exhibition 'From Euclid's Finite to Zeno's Infinite' is one of those that makes you raise an eyebrow. It sounds almost overly grandiose, as if it condenses two and a half thousand years of philosophy within it. But when you walk through the hall, you begin to understand that this title functions more as a challenge than as a statement. The opening of the exhibition set a tone that balanced between formal and unexpectedly lively. The Consul General of Greece in New York, Iphigenia Kanara, spoke about the importance of the presence of women of the Greek diaspora in the contemporary cultural scene of the city. It was not a typical diplomatic greeting. It was more of a reminder that even spaces associated with the state can, at least for a while, be transformed into living laboratories of ideas.
As she noted, the consulate thus becomes a 'platform for dialogue,' where classical Greek thought meets contemporary artistic avant-garde through the perspective of women. Subsequently, the artist Antonia Papatzanaki spoke about the vision of the curator Thaleia Vrachopoulou, who shaped the curatorial concept and the philosophical structure of the exhibition, emphasizing it not as a theoretical framework, but as an open process. As a journey between form and its deconstruction, between order and the freedom of movement.
And right there the title of the exhibition begins to gain depth. The curation by art historian, Thalia Vrachopoulos, a curator who knows how to set up exhibitions within an intellectual framework, does not try to make the female artists 'illustrate' philosophy. Art that tries to explain theories usually dies of boredom. Instead, the exhibition lets the idea of the finite and the infinite function like an atmosphere. Like electricity in the air.
And suddenly everything makes sense. Geometry appears in most works not as a mathematical exercise but as instinct: shapes that seem to hold the world in place, lines that try to impose order on the chaos of the surface. It is as if you see the shadow of Euclid hovering over canvases and sculptures. And then, just when you think order has prevailed, something breaks. The form begins to dissolve. The lines open up. The gaze gets lost in repetitions, rhythms, endless transformations. There appears the other philosopher of the title, Zeno of Elea, the man who told us that motion is a paradox and that infinity can fit into a single step. The exhibition there acquires rhythm. It is no longer just a simple group presentation. It is a pendulum swinging back and forth: order and chaos, form and dissolution, geometry and energy. But the most interesting thing is not the philosophy. It is the artists themselves. Nineteen women, from 29 to 83 years old. Three generations with immigrant stories and experiences. Some carry the memory of Greece strongly, others are purely children of New York: nervous, experimental, almost urban in their gesture. Nefeli Massia, Antzi Drakopoulou, Eirini Linardaki, Despoina Myriokefalitaki-Zografou, Dimitra Skandali, Antonia Papatzanaki, Eozene Agopian, Eleni Angelopoulou, Lora Donson, Morfi Gika, Zoi Keramea, Artemis Kotioni, Despo Magoni, Ioanna Pantazopoulou, Marita Pappa, Anna Samara, Triada Samaras, Lydia Venieri, and Fotini Vourgaropoulou, make up an impressive spectrum of artistic approaches. This mixture creates something you cannot direct. The moment you stand in front of the works, you realize that the 'Greek-American' identity is not a style. It is a continuous shifting between two cultures that never stop conversing. The exhibition also functions as a small commentary on the position of women in the history of art. Neither in an instructive way nor with grand slogans, but as a presence that is enough.
For decades, the history of art seemed like a room full of men talking very loudly. Now more and more exhibitions resemble what happened here: a room where women create their own polyphony. And this polyphony is exciting.
Some works are quiet, almost meditative. Others are explosive, full of gesture and energy. Some seem to speak about memory, others about pure form. But they all share something in common: a sense of searching. As if trying to answer a simple yet enormous question: How does one live between the finite and the infinite? Perhaps this is ultimately the true success of the exhibition. It does not provide answers. It creates space for thought. And that is something that rarely happens in diplomatic buildings where the world's problems are solved with words. At the consulate, however, for a moment, words receded. Their place was taken by images. And these images whispered something old but always new: that art, like Zeno's infinite, never ends.
Gianna Katsageorgi, March 14, 2026
* The exhibition is open to the public until March 31 at the Greek Consulate in New York City on 69 East 79th Street, in New York. Open Monday - Friday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
Greek‑American Women Artists Present “From the Finite to the Infinite” in New York - Greek News USA
Μεταξύ Ευκλείδη και Ζήνωνα: Η Τέχνη των Ελληνοαμερικανίδων στο Ελληνικό Προξενείο | ekirikas.com
Greece: National Herald Link (in Greek)
*Between Euclid and Zeno: The Art of Greek-American Women at the Greek Consulate (In Greek)
By Gianna Katsageorgis, March 14, 2026
Something strangely beautiful happened at the General Consulate of Greece in New York recently. Not an ordinary wine event that ends quickly and words that are forgotten faster. But something more lively. An exhibition that tried to do something almost impossible: to fit ancient Greek philosophy into the chaos of contemporary art. And indeed, through the eyes of nineteen Greek-American women artists.
The title of the exhibition 'From Euclid's Finite to Zeno's Infinite' is one of those that makes you raise an eyebrow. It sounds almost overly grandiose, as if it condenses two and a half thousand years of philosophy within it. But when you walk through the hall, you begin to understand that this title functions more as a challenge than as a statement. The opening of the exhibition set a tone that balanced between formal and unexpectedly lively. The Consul General of Greece in New York, Iphigenia Kanara, spoke about the importance of the presence of women of the Greek diaspora in the contemporary cultural scene of the city. It was not a typical diplomatic greeting. It was more of a reminder that even spaces associated with the state can, at least for a while, be transformed into living laboratories of ideas.
As she noted, the consulate thus becomes a 'platform for dialogue,' where classical Greek thought meets contemporary artistic avant-garde through the perspective of women. Subsequently, the artist Antonia Papatzanaki spoke about the vision of the curator Thaleia Vrachopoulou, who shaped the curatorial concept and the philosophical structure of the exhibition, emphasizing it not as a theoretical framework, but as an open process. As a journey between form and its deconstruction, between order and the freedom of movement.
And right there the title of the exhibition begins to gain depth. The curation by art historian, Thalia Vrachopoulos, a curator who knows how to set up exhibitions within an intellectual framework, does not try to make the female artists 'illustrate' philosophy. Art that tries to explain theories usually dies of boredom. Instead, the exhibition lets the idea of the finite and the infinite function like an atmosphere. Like electricity in the air.
And suddenly everything makes sense. Geometry appears in most works not as a mathematical exercise but as instinct: shapes that seem to hold the world in place, lines that try to impose order on the chaos of the surface. It is as if you see the shadow of Euclid hovering over canvases and sculptures. And then, just when you think order has prevailed, something breaks. The form begins to dissolve. The lines open up. The gaze gets lost in repetitions, rhythms, endless transformations. There appears the other philosopher of the title, Zeno of Elea, the man who told us that motion is a paradox and that infinity can fit into a single step. The exhibition there acquires rhythm. It is no longer just a simple group presentation. It is a pendulum swinging back and forth: order and chaos, form and dissolution, geometry and energy. But the most interesting thing is not the philosophy. It is the artists themselves. Nineteen women, from 29 to 83 years old. Three generations with immigrant stories and experiences. Some carry the memory of Greece strongly, others are purely children of New York: nervous, experimental, almost urban in their gesture. Nefeli Massia, Antzi Drakopoulou, Eirini Linardaki, Despoina Myriokefalitaki-Zografou, Dimitra Skandali, Antonia Papatzanaki, Eozene Agopian, Eleni Angelopoulou, Lora Donson, Morfi Gika, Zoi Keramea, Artemis Kotioni, Despo Magoni, Ioanna Pantazopoulou, Marita Pappa, Anna Samara, Triada Samaras, Lydia Venieri, and Fotini Vourgaropoulou, make up an impressive spectrum of artistic approaches. This mixture creates something you cannot direct. The moment you stand in front of the works, you realize that the 'Greek-American' identity is not a style. It is a continuous shifting between two cultures that never stop conversing. The exhibition also functions as a small commentary on the position of women in the history of art. Neither in an instructive way nor with grand slogans, but as a presence that is enough.
For decades, the history of art seemed like a room full of men talking very loudly. Now more and more exhibitions resemble what happened here: a room where women create their own polyphony. And this polyphony is exciting.
Some works are quiet, almost meditative. Others are explosive, full of gesture and energy. Some seem to speak about memory, others about pure form. But they all share something in common: a sense of searching. As if trying to answer a simple yet enormous question: How does one live between the finite and the infinite? Perhaps this is ultimately the true success of the exhibition. It does not provide answers. It creates space for thought. And that is something that rarely happens in diplomatic buildings where the world's problems are solved with words. At the consulate, however, for a moment, words receded. Their place was taken by images. And these images whispered something old but always new: that art, like Zeno's infinite, never ends.
Gianna Katsageorgi, March 14, 2026
* The exhibition is open to the public until March 31 at the Greek Consulate in New York City on 69 East 79th Street, in New York. Open Monday - Friday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
Transcending Bodies
July 25 - September 6, 2024
James Howe Gallery
Kean University, Union, NJ
July 25 - September 6, 2024
James Howe Gallery
Kean University, Union, NJ
Fragmented Exultations
By Patricia Miranda Commissioned for the exhibition "Transcending Bodies an upcoming exhibition catalogue
Triada Samaras- the artist and the work - is full of righteous fury. In Samaras’ world, epic narratives emerge from the intimacy of personal illness and bodily fragility. The exhibition, Transcending Bodies, includes paintings from several recent series. The Long Covid Series presents a lamentation on the isolation and resilience of negotiating chronic illness, especially one so fraught with political context. Her palette of blacks, smoky umbers, and dirty whites is applied in ferocious strokes of somber earthiness. An occasional dense cadmium red or yellow punches the space; this is a dusk world drained of fecund greenery. Hearts, hands, and torsos appear disembodied from swirls of shadow. They become iconic, body parts as talismanic ex-votos. They circle a vortex in the pictorial space as though falling backwards into oblivion, threatening to reach into our world to pull us with them. Their plea to not fall spills the inky black world onto the sides of the canvas, breaking the fourth wall of their interiority.
The Unbound Series continues the iconography of visceral brushwork and tumultuous emotions. Yet forms are no longer fragmented in inchoate darkness – hints of landscape appear, leaning closer into illusion. Figures have an earnest naivete; a body traced onto the canvas is swaddled in a surround of paint, symbolic houses swirl through a flooded subconscious storm dream. Clouds of loosely scripted poetry encircle the images like sirens recounting the story. Objects materialize, windswept, mythic, wrestling between the void and the luminous.
In the Body and Nature Series, darkness has given way to a dawn of bright blues, pinks and yellows. The brushwork remains agitated, full of the struggle and longing present in all of the artist’s work. These sunrise landscapes are smaller, quieter, almost jubilant. A horizon appears across the series, gravity calming the vortex, as a hand reaches hopefully into the distant light.
The exhibition embodies a cycle of seasons, a woman’s private story of illness and healing. There’s a persistent spirituality to Samaras’ work, a sense of the pain, awe, and transcendence of suffering, and the ability of paint to illuminate the visceral. Subsuming larger religious and societal themes into the particularity of a woman with an “unacceptable” chronic illness, her sense of atmosphere references Goya in his dark moody politic. The urgency of her touch and elasticity of her forms, as well as her tactile religiosity, bring to mind El Greco, the icon writer turned fleshy painter, perhaps an unconscious nod to her Greek heritage. Samaras exults in the expressive and tempestuous emotionality of paint.
Patricia Miranda July 2025
Patricia Miranda is an artist, curator, and educator. Discover her work and projects at patriciamiranda.com
By Patricia Miranda Commissioned for the exhibition "Transcending Bodies an upcoming exhibition catalogue
Triada Samaras- the artist and the work - is full of righteous fury. In Samaras’ world, epic narratives emerge from the intimacy of personal illness and bodily fragility. The exhibition, Transcending Bodies, includes paintings from several recent series. The Long Covid Series presents a lamentation on the isolation and resilience of negotiating chronic illness, especially one so fraught with political context. Her palette of blacks, smoky umbers, and dirty whites is applied in ferocious strokes of somber earthiness. An occasional dense cadmium red or yellow punches the space; this is a dusk world drained of fecund greenery. Hearts, hands, and torsos appear disembodied from swirls of shadow. They become iconic, body parts as talismanic ex-votos. They circle a vortex in the pictorial space as though falling backwards into oblivion, threatening to reach into our world to pull us with them. Their plea to not fall spills the inky black world onto the sides of the canvas, breaking the fourth wall of their interiority.
The Unbound Series continues the iconography of visceral brushwork and tumultuous emotions. Yet forms are no longer fragmented in inchoate darkness – hints of landscape appear, leaning closer into illusion. Figures have an earnest naivete; a body traced onto the canvas is swaddled in a surround of paint, symbolic houses swirl through a flooded subconscious storm dream. Clouds of loosely scripted poetry encircle the images like sirens recounting the story. Objects materialize, windswept, mythic, wrestling between the void and the luminous.
In the Body and Nature Series, darkness has given way to a dawn of bright blues, pinks and yellows. The brushwork remains agitated, full of the struggle and longing present in all of the artist’s work. These sunrise landscapes are smaller, quieter, almost jubilant. A horizon appears across the series, gravity calming the vortex, as a hand reaches hopefully into the distant light.
The exhibition embodies a cycle of seasons, a woman’s private story of illness and healing. There’s a persistent spirituality to Samaras’ work, a sense of the pain, awe, and transcendence of suffering, and the ability of paint to illuminate the visceral. Subsuming larger religious and societal themes into the particularity of a woman with an “unacceptable” chronic illness, her sense of atmosphere references Goya in his dark moody politic. The urgency of her touch and elasticity of her forms, as well as her tactile religiosity, bring to mind El Greco, the icon writer turned fleshy painter, perhaps an unconscious nod to her Greek heritage. Samaras exults in the expressive and tempestuous emotionality of paint.
Patricia Miranda July 2025
Patricia Miranda is an artist, curator, and educator. Discover her work and projects at patriciamiranda.com