marmarijí: a. gleaming, the continuous change of intensity and color observed in the brilliance of a star; for any other glow.

b.fibrillation, (Med.) a severe form of cardiac arrhythmia: atrial fibrillation

"Although each species and each individual being experiences it in a different way and from a different perspective, we share the same planet, we are largely subject to the same natural laws. If we realize that the "others" - human and other animals, plants, plants, every form of life, are equally "crept" into this world with us, a horizon of greater compassion, solidarity and morality opens up for us."

Panagiotis Tsiamouras

Observing, through time, the rich, continuous and persistent creative process and course of Eleanna Martinou, one can discern her artistic continuities and discontinuities. Most importantly, to identify how her painting is identified with her quests and reflections on the essential relationship between herself and the world. Fundamental concepts of her conceptual and pictorial pursuits are the idea of the network, connections, the flow of time, rhythm and memory, and the links between people and space. The mapping of faces and routes through the urban landscape is a main feature of a large body of her work. In "Sparkling" urban space-time is no longer the point. In this new and special collection of works, Eleanna Martinou continues her wanderings in nature. Her works capture, either realistically or imaginatively, the splendour of nature. "Sparkling" is a meditation on the present and the future. Through the brilliance, sensitivity, and beauty of natural landscapes, she speaks to the uncertain, dystopian condition that follows as the man-made climate crisis shows its teeth. "Sparkling" is the power of contrast. Through colors, dreamscapes and expressions of beauty, she touches on the pain, despair and deep suffering caused by layoff and apathy in the face of our self-destruction despite existing clear scientific evidence.

Hundreds of the world's leading scientists and climatologists expect global temperatures to rise by at least 2.5C above pre-industrial levels this century, exceeding internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet. The 'future' of heat waves, fires, floods and storms with increasing intensity and frequency is becoming the 'present'. It is easy, reading the international news, to understand that the climate crisis is already having a dramatic impact all over the planet and of course it is also affecting our country. Experts are sounding the alarm when they estimate that in Greece, by 2050, heatwave days and high fire risk days will increase dramatically, rainfall will decrease and extreme weather events will increase in duration and intensity. Crimes against nature worldwide are on the increase. No matter how much we pretend, no matter how much we ignore, no matter how much we do nothing, the problem is here. Eleanna Martinou, showing us aspects of nature and details of it, poses a basic question "How can it be that while we know, we do not react?"

Unlike her previous series of works, which had a more anthropocentric character, here the human figure is occasionally presented, either as a huge, threatening figure or as a small abstract figure in the landscape. The human face, defined by its contour, has no particular characteristics. Humanity is summarized, it becomes an indication, a shape. The artist's choice to present man without a face points to his lost humanity. Having lost his connection with the natural environment, he passes over it like a steamroller, flattening it. The little seal-bottle, under the oversized paw, is another sad reminder of the impact of human activity on wildlife.

In the works of the exhibition, the focus of attention is on nature and its elements. Light and its reflections play a special role in these compositions. The power and changes of light in time acquire an ontological and structural character in the creative process, with the series of cyanotypes being a special example. The "writing" of the artist in this series becomes freer, more expressionistic, more emotional in contrast to her intensely strict, dense and aggressive "urban" maps. She follows the airy and lyrical sensibility that emerged in "Yades", in her "astral" impressions. The artist captures in paint "the view from above" and the startling beauty of mountain peaks as they change color to the playfulness of the sun. She captures with her inks and watercolors, moments of natural phenomena such as the moon rising through the sea or mountains, the glint of the sun and moon in the sea water, and details of the plant and animal kingdom such as the rings of a trunk, the mysterious shapes of shells, the "rhythmic" dance of butterflies and the impressive colour shades of a wildflower on Mount Olympus. Through a powerful aesthetic experience, the intention is to revisit nature and its landscapes as if "seeing them for the first time". To "find" the beauty in all the "small" moments and things that surround us. To leave behind the fixed, established and habitual way of looking at the environment around us. To stop taking it for granted and "see" it from the beginning, with a fresh perspective. To become aware of our essential connection to the world, to the "others" - human and other creatures, plants, to every form of life. To prevent the massive destruction of ecosystems, to recognize ecocide in order to prevent our extinction and the "marmariji" in nature to maintain the meaning of the glow and not the sudden cardiac end of all of us.

Niki Papaspyrou, art historian