Land of the Lotus Eaters: Louise Alexander Gallery, Porto Cervo

The epic poem 'The Odyssey' contains a reimagined map, illustrated by vividly transporting the reader on a grand voyage across land, sea, and air while entwining a tapestry of mythologies, literature, and art history.

In the central portion of Homer's famous work, King Odysseus retells his ten-year quest home to the Phaeacians. Odysseus' memory of his trip is a blend of dramatised encounters and reimagined Mediterranean locales. 

 He recounts meeting cyclopes, sirens, a six-headed monster, and the mysterious Lotus-Eaters: men entranced by the draw of a single hedonic goal at the dangerous cost of their rational minds. 

The summer group show, 'Land of the Lotus-Eaters' at Louise Alexander Gallery intermingles the natural world with our romantic ideas. We can imagine the unknown and join Homer's symbolic journey through the rough seas of philosophical turmoil to the calm shores of Sophrosyne - known to the Ancient Greeks as 'the lucid mind'.

The languid figures and soft landscapes contrast with unnervingly psychedelic ceramics, textiles, and paintings. The works presented in 'Land of the Lotus-Eaters' refer to the lure of relaxed island life, often at odds with the harsh landscape.

Exhibited within our Sardinia gallery - considered the inspiration for Homer's fictional island of the Laestrygoniansans - the location evokes Ancient Mediterranean mystical elements. Seemingly supernatural winds and turbulent seas batter the rugged landscape and serve as the perfect backdrop for a symbolic and sensory journey of art.

Featuring established and emerging artists including Christina Forrer, Sophie von Hellermann, Anya Paintsil, Uwe Henneken, Amy Bessone, JP Munro and Peter Böhnisch, 'Land of the Lotus-Eaters' runs from 1st July to 4th September 2022, at Louise Alexander Gallery in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.