SAFE HAVEN showcases two separate bodies of work by the artists Mary Cox and Sarah Ettlinger, which address a common theme where sanctuary meets uncertainty. Each series focuses on a unique swimming location, familiar and beloved — the Kenwood Ladies’ swimming pond in London and a public access beach in Vouliagmeni. The works highlight the uniqueness of these places, which, located within or very close to the urban environment, offer the possibility of immersion — literal or metaphorical — into other worlds, whether natural or imaginary, in this case aquatic. Ultimately, the works bring attention to the vulnerability of places that lie outside the geography of the market, and the possibility that they may lose those very qualities which the artists value and which make them unique spaces of nature within the city — multifaceted and precious.
Mary Cox paints portraits of aging ramshackle houses located behind an orphanage in Vouliagmeni. Nestled between two very expensive and over-touristed beaches, this spot gives public access to a beautiful “free beach” with no organized lounges or umbrellas, something which is becoming ever more rare. The Greek church however, has sold the orphanage to developers, and the small shacks could be razed and the property there developed as well, limiting access to the beach. The clapboard shacks were built in the mid 20th century and given to families for use during the summer months, with each family allowed use only one time. The shacks were modified and added onto by new families every year, until the program ended around the year 2000. Since then, they were abandoned to the elements, and over the years covered with graffiti. The contrast of bright coloured urban graffiti with local pines and greenery, with glimpses of the turquoise bays in the background, produces a visual excitement, evoking a fairy tale scenario.
Sarah Ettlinger explores the importance of women-only spaces as sanctuaries of safety and solidarity. She brings to light the undeniable and special bond between women when partaking in an event or activity such as bathing together. Her current work focuses on Kenwood Ladies’ Pond which has provided a protected swimming space for women in London since 1925, becoming a city centre haven and refuge from social constraints and expectations for 100 years. Debate over women’s rights, safe spaces, and inclusion of all femininities was sparked in 2019 by the City of London Corporation’s gender self-identification policy – affecting some of the Ladies’ Pond swimmers and culminating in the #LetWomenSwim campaign. This series of paintings use a soft focus and almost pastel palette creating an atmosphere of a kind of utopia just beyond reach.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTISTS
Mary Cox is an American painter with Greek nationality living and working in Greece since 1993. She holds a Masters in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California. She has shown her work in galleries in Greece and abroad since 1999. Over the years she has taken up different subject matter and used a range of media, from a mixed-media series on migration which was selected for a biennial in Lulea, Sweden in 2011, to a photo-realistic series of paintings of old houses in the southern suburbs of Athens. In 2022, she took part in the two-person show Athenian Topographies at AAA3A art space in New York and in the group show Synthetic Zero at Bronx Art Space, NYC. More recently she took part in Never Wait! / ¡Nunca Esperes! at Bronx River Art Center in NYC (2024). Since 2016 she has co-directed FokiaNou Art Space. www.artbymarycox.com
Sarah Ettlinger is a British artist living and working in Athens Greece, since 1991. She graduated from Middlesex University London with distinction and went on to Liverpool University where she received a 1st class BA Hons degree in Art & Design.Her artistic media and style adapt to the concept of each project or body of work, though often favouring oil painting as her primary medium. She regularly uses digital media, photography, and video to build upon the investigation of a topic. At the heart of her practice is her curiosity to uncover layers beneath societal facades, often reflecting her personal experiences as a woman, artist, and resident of Athens. She has exhibited her work in solo and group shows in Greece, England, France, Sweden, Germany, USA and Ecuador. Notable solo shows include – “Lost Innocence” London, UK and “In-External contortions” Athens, Greece. Sarah Ettlinger has been active in a number of artist initiative projects, co-curating and participating in “Athens ArtCore Festival” 2020, “Private View” ArtAz 2014, “ReMap II” 2009 and “Where is the art? / Open Spaces, 2007” a parallel event to the 1st Athens Biennale. More recently she took part in the exhibition Hyperhidrosis: Sweating Together at the Modern Greek Culture Bath House of the Winds. www.sarahettlinger.com
Exhibition Opening – Wednesday 1st October 2025, 7.30 p.m.
Duration- 1 October – 6 November 2025
Opening hours – Tuesday, Thursday 1:00 – 3.30 p.m. & Saturday 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Curator – Eliza Gerolymatou, Art Historian – Museologist
LEFAS MUNICIPAL GALLERY
I. Kokkoni 15, Psychiko – tel. 210 6717097
Art Scene Athens’ is written/run by artist/journalist Stella Sevastopoulos. Dedicated to presenting what is happening on the Greek art scene (but not only), and also to giving Greek artists (and artists based in Greece) an international voice on the internet. For more on Stella Sevastopoulos’s art, click here If you would like to be featured in Art Scene Athens, please send email (stelsevas@yahoo.com).
art scene athens 