Athens, Greece
solo show


 

Belly of the Fish

Valentina Bartolini

 

 

22 January – 21 March 2026 
Opening day: 22 January 2026, 7 pm – 9 pm

The solo show entitled Belly of the Fish by Valentina Bartolini conceives the belly as an enclosed, transformative space. Drawing inspiration from proto-surrealist practices, Bartolini redirects attention from the external world to the unconscious, allowing shapes to surface through intuition, introspection and attentive observation. The title alludes to biblical imagery of the inner world and transformation, such as the belly of the whale in the story of Jonah.

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Η ατομική έκθεση με τίτλο Η Κοιλιά του Ψαριού της Βαλεντίνας Μπαρτολίνι αντιλαμβάνεται την κοιλιά ως έναν κλειστό, μεταμορφωτικό χώρο. Η Βαλεντίνα Μπαρτολίνι αντλεί έμπνευση από πρωτο-σουρεαλιστικές πρακτικές που μετατοπίζουν την προσοχή από τον εξωτερικό κόσμο στο ασυνείδητο, επιτρέποντας στις μορφές να αναδυθούν μέσω της διαίσθησης, της ενδοσκόπησης και της προσοχής.  Ο τίτλος παραπέμπει σε βιβλικές εικόνες του εσωτερικού κόσμου και της μεταμόρφωσης, όπως η κοιλιά της φάλαινας στην ιστορία του Ιωνά.


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See list of works and exhibition plan
View images of the exhibition

Upcoming
Madrid, Spain
Art fair
 

 

ARCO Madrid 2026

 

 

Janis Rafa
Booth 9OP01
04 – 08 March 2026

Opening hours
Professional: 04 March 2026, 12 – 8 pm / 05 March 2026, 11 – 8 pm
Professional and Public: 06 – 07 March 2026, 12 – 8 pm / 08 March 2026, 12 – 6 pm

Address: IFEMA MADRID, Hall 7 & 9
Recinto Ferial, Av. Partenón 5, 28042 Madrid, Spain

Callirrhoë  is pleased to announce its participation in the Opening section of ARCO Madrid 2026 with a solo presentation by Janis Rafa. The project continues Rafa’s recent solo exhibition at EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, further developing her long-term research into the entanglements between the human and non-human world and in particular the relationship between humans and horses. Central to the presentation is her notion of the “performed horse,” a term she uses to describe the animal as a cultural construct—historically shaped to serve systems of power, discipline and desire, much like the parallel constructions of “woman” and “nature. Rather than depicting the horse directly, Rafa foregrounds the objects and apparatuses that surround it: trophies, bridles, restraints and other instruments tied to competitive sport, taming and commodification. Through this displacement, the absent body becomes acutely present.

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