NAXOS One legend has it that Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos, after she helped him kill the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth. Dionysus, who was the protector of the island, met Ariadne and fell in love with her. But Ariadne, unable to bear her separation from Theseus, either killed herself, or ascended to heaven. The mythical island of Naxos represents, in this exhibition, the symbolic place of encounter between the feminine and masculine: a sacred space, where the paintings and sculptures of the two artists coexist and communicate. Nina Murashkina artworks have numerous references to the Dionysiac cult: men holding a glass of wine while the head is absent; snakes, centaurs, satyrs and leopards – all attributes of the God; and especially the woman, bonded to nature, surrounded by flowers, adored, desired and glorified. Xavier Escala female figures are small Ariadnes protected and exalted by the hand of the God. It may seem that the artist feels the fragility of women in the world, and protects them with the armor of art. The myth is renewed by experience of life, and it’s told with original ideas and sensibility. It’s a different approach than to read the story in a book, and then represent it literally. There is an intuitive connection with the past, which it’s difficult to explain, unless there is no past, but a present permanently renovated by the artist.