OKUPA kicks off its autumnal art season with the exhibition “Liminality”, by Petr Shevchenko. This exhibition presents a new body of paintings and sculptures by the artist. At the centre of Petr Shevchenko’s practice lies a tension between recognition and ambiguity. His paintings and sculptures inhabit a space where familiar forms emerge only to resist definition, challenging the viewer’s instinct to classify and assign meaning.
The title “Liminality” refers to a state of transition: a point between one condition and another, where boundaries become unstable and perception remains open. Within Shevchenko’s works, organic, anatomical and vegetal references surface through symmetry, repetition and transformation, becoming structures that appear simultaneously familiar and alien, natural and constructed.
Rather than establishing clear oppositions, the artist allows these categories to overlap. What appears organic may suggest architecture or design, while constructed forms retain something bodily and alive. Across both painting and sculpture, forms seem caught in a process of becoming, suspended between emergence and dissolution, certainty and possibility. The works do not offer fixed narratives. Meaning unfolds gradually, shifting with attention, distance and time. Recognition becomes a process rather than a conclusion. Viewers are invited into an encounter that rewards sustained looking, where perception remains fluid and interpretation continuously evolves.
Presented at Okupa, this sense of transition extends beyond the individual works. The architectural setting becomes an active part of the exhibition, creating a dialogue between artwork, space and viewer. States of liminality emerge not only within the images and objects themselves, but also in the movement between bodies, forms and environments. Liminality invites us to remain in the moment before recognition becomes certainty to inhabit a space where transformation is still taking place and meaning remains open.
Artist Statement: “My practice explores the space between recognition and ambiguity, where forms remain in a state of becoming rather than resolution. Through painting and sculpture, I investigate transformation as both a visual and metaphysical process, creating works that invite sustained looking and open-ended nterpretation.”
Petr Shevchenko’s work investigates the fluid boundaries between organic and constructed forms, drawing on recurring themes of perception, transformation, and the instability of fixed meaning. Through a process of repetition, symmetry, and material exploration, his works occupy a liminal space where familiarity and estrangement coexist.
About Okupa
The cornerstone of Athens’ growing creative community. An unconventional urban hub in the heart of the city, Okupa opens its doors to both local and international artists. Now hosting its fourth exhibition, it continues to contribute to a new and dynamic chapter in Athens’ contemporary cultural landscape.
Contacts:
Chrisanti Papaharissis: ckpapa@outlook.com
Domus Art Gallery: domusartgalleryathens@gmail.com
