Marble Sculpture Symposium at the Ancient Quarries of Paros in Marathi: 20/11 – 6/12/2026

The Association “Friends of the Sculpture Museum ‘N. Perantinos’” and the Municipality of Paros, in a collaboration with the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), are organising a Marble Sculpture Symposium titled “On the Path of Lychnites,” to be held from November 20 to December 6, 2026. The event will take place at the Ancient Quarries of Paros in Marathi—a magnificent site that continues to inspire Art, and the cradle of “Parian Stone” (Paria Lithos), from which masterpieces of sculpture were crafted.The works created during the Symposium will be placed along the path leading to the Ancient Quarries, where they will remain on permanent display. Our vision is to transform this path into an open-air sculpture museum; we are committed to inviting artists each year to showcase their work and create sculptures that will enrich the collection of this outdoor museum at the Ancient Quarries.

With respect, deep emotion, and joy for the honour bestowed upon us—the opportunity to once again let the art of sculpture resonate within the Ancient Quarries, where “Lychnites” (the most renowned and translucent marble of the ancient world) was once extracted—we welcome the Marble Sculpture Department of the Athens School of Fine Arts, its professor Dimitris Christogiannis and his exceptional students, as we carve into blocks of marble, revealing their inner soul and energy.

We extend our warmest thanks to the Municipality of Paros for co-organising this endeavour—a contribution that has been instrumental to its realisation—as well as for their ongoing support in promoting the art of sculpture through the workshops of sculptor N. Perantinos in Athens and Paros.

We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASKT) and its Department of Marble Sculpture for the honour of their invaluable collaboration and for overseeing the Symposium. We also thank the students who enthusiastically agreed to take part in this celebration, our members who will participate on behalf of the “Friends of the N. Perantinos Sculpture Museum” Association—thereby supporting its enduring mission to promote the art of sculpture rooted in rigorous study and knowledge—and everyone else who contributed their labour and technical resources to make this Symposium possible.

We invite you all to visit us during the Symposium at the Ancient Quarries; become part of this celebration, experience the energy of this primordial material, and witness the imprint of knowledge as it is shaped by the chisel.

Throughout the Symposium, we will also enjoy a series of parallel activities that help highlight the importance of art in our lives.

• We will have the pleasure of exploring the “art of nature” through the work of the alternative community *Peliti*, which cultivates and preserves precious ancient seeds. This experience will be accompanied by the sounds of the Ancient Greek lyre, performed by the exceptional musician Thanasis Kleopas (at the Marathi Primary School, November 24th at 18:00).
• We will have the opportunity to view video art by Michalis Manousakis, Professor Emeritus at the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA). The screening will take place concurrently with the Symposium at the Marathi Primary School and will run on a continuous loop for visitors. Professor Manousakis will be joining us in person and looks forward to answering questions and engaging in discussion.
• We will also have the delightful surprise of viewing work by director and screenwriter Thodoris Papadoulakis (known for directing the hit series *The Island*).
• As part of this celebration of the art of sculpture, we will also learn about the tools and techniques used by quarrymen, tracing the journey of a block of marble from the quarry to its final form as a work of art. Presented by Dimitris Kollaros. (Marathi, Primary School, 28/11 at 18:00)
• To conclude the Symposium, we will immerse ourselves in the magic and freedom of musical art, presented by an ensemble featuring two instruments and two vocalists (FLUXUS Museum, Parikia, 05/11, 20:30).

It is with deep emotion that we wish to inaugurate this Symposium with a tribute to our late teacher and President of the Association, the sculptor Christos Riganas. This will take the form of an exceptional documentary, *Tis Smilis Grafimata* (“Inscriptions of the Chisel”), which explores—with moving tenderness—moments from his mature life as a sculptor (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Kleoni Flessa; Saturday 21/11, Lefkes – House of Literature – 19:00). Subsequently, and throughout the duration of the Symposium, the documentary will be screened in rotation with various video-art pieces at the Primary School in Marathi.

The connection between our late teacher and this Symposium is direct. It was shortly before his final journey that the discussion regarding the Symposium first began—ignited by a spark that always resided within his soul—as he shared his thoughts among friends, students, and collaborators on its  design—with passion, boundless energy, and an underlying anxiety that he would temper with his humour.

We held onto all these remarkable elements and proceeded to bring the Symposium to life, with the hope that art might resonate from this splendid setting and reach as far as the “Islands of the Blessed.” (From the poem “My Journey,” in the latest poetry collection *Laas* by Christos Riganas, published by Oi Ekdoseis ton Filon, 2025.)