The CITRONNE Gallery of 19 Patriarchou Ioakim St, Kolonaki, Athens, operates in parallel and complementary to the CITRONNE Poros gallery to propose a different art space. In Poros, the emphasis is on the local; in Athens the emphasis is on the global—the interface of world networks. A flat in a 1960s apartment block is converted to meta-function as an exhibition space. On Thursday, November 29, it opens with the exhibition "Encapsulation- Mappemonde" of George Lappas, re-exhibiting one of the best-known and most important works of Greek post-war sculpture, Mappemonde.

The CITRONNE Gallery aspires to achieve a synthesis between local and global, making use of the networks that link the Greek capital with Diaspora and international art. It will display and re-display works that have stood the test of time and function space; that is, works whose symbolism transcends the boundaries of time and space.

True to this spirit, "Mappemonde", the Map of the World, comes as a delineated, “encapsulated” memory field which is in turn “encapsulated” into the memory of an urban residence. This as charting, a sculptural narrative that starts from personal experiences but at the same time opens up to a universal scale.

As noted by co-curator Yorgos Tzirtzilakis, it is “a work of a mystical nature…, the model of a world with the question of classification at its core... [making] Lappas a latter-day mythologist-sculptor who, in this case, does not so much carve a material with his scalpel but rather constructs, engraves, cuts and above all assembles…”

The 600+ pages catalogue of CITRONNE – Athens incorporates the unpublished Secret Book of George Lappas. This precious, hitherto unknown archive material documents the layout of the composition using photocopied photographs, material from the one hundred and sixty-four "plates-casts” (maps), drawings for the three thousand "elements" as well as handwritten notes, catalogue references, calculations and sketches.

Sculptor Aphrodite Liti, the life partner of George Lappas, states that “… This was the word of “mappemonde” which was composed of small objects of metal welded together, and a home which took its form from an imaginary quest of his birthplace…” ; she believes that “In a scholarly way, through his sculpture, George succeeded in bridging the gaps and obsessions existing between the public and art.” Also a co-curator, Aphrodite Liti urges us “after 31 years, and in the space of a hospitable Athenian flat, we are invited to re-appraise, “encapsulated” George’s ecstatic personal map through the stitching together of strewn images of civilization."

The new venture of CITRONNE rekindles and builds on an initiative that began twelve years ago. It aspires to enrich the capital's artistic life with new ideas and fruitful collaborations.

Co-curators and catalogue editors: Aphrodite Liti, Tatiana Spinari–Pollali, Yorgos Tzirtzilakis
Catalogue design: George Rymenidis – Grid Office
Exhibition lighting: Eleftheria Deko