THE PRESENT by Pelly Mandreka

THE PRESENT
An actual presentation of a gifted world
Pelly Mandreka

The multimedia exhibition-installation “THE PRESENT”—the first solo exhibition by Pelly Mandreka—is largely based on the fictional content of her homonymous photographic book: the presentation of a techno-scientific utopia, into which humanity entered painlessly through a total reboot, known as the Great Sleep.
In this new world, which extends far beyond the Earth’s crust, resources are unlimited thanks to the intensive exploitation of natural and artificial planets. Scientific and technological advancement has produced hybrid connections between organic and inorganic matter. Social life has become largely individualized, and conflicts have disappeared, as social organization is founded upon universal, consensual relations of servitude and roles. Imaginary totalitarian powers—such as the Party in George Orwell’s 1984, or the World State in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World—now belong solely to the realm of science fiction literature.
In this new utopia, the founding principles of unlimited peace, freedom, health, progress, and prosperity are firmly established, and everything appears to be running smoothly under the management of the Authors’ techno-intellectual elite. Almost.

The exhibition seeks to expand the book’s content across two supposed spatiotemporal levels. The first takes the form of an encyclopedic gallery of the achievements of this new world—an improbable documentation of the realized utopia through illustrated lemmas. On the second level, we are transported into an installed post-apocalyptic setting, where everything has collapsed and what prevails is not only the desert of the real, but also of the symbolic. What remains—as a kind of testament—is an abandoned archive of the utopia and scattered luminous elements that function more as warning signals of a catastrophe. Paradoxically, it is a catastrophe that is both already fulfilled and yet imminent: a potentiality unfolding in the present of the viewers and in relation to it. Like a present.

*Note: any resemblance to real persons or situations is not necessarily coincidental.

INFO

Venue: [SiC] Athens – Space for International Cooperation
Nileos 6, Thiseio

Opening: Friday, February 6, 2026 | 19:30–22:30
Exhibition duration: Friday, February 6 – Sunday, February 15, 2026
Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday | 17:00 – 21:00
Saturday & Sunday | 15:00 – 21:00

The book presentation of “THE PRESENT” will take place on Friday, February 13th at 19:30, at [SiC] Athens, featuring speakers Fotis Kaggelaris and Yorgos Karailias.
On Sunday, February 15th, the finissage will be held, including a guided tour of the exhibition by the artist and the curator.

Admission to all events is free.

Exhibition curator: Υorgos Karailias
Production: Pelly Mandreka
Digital Archive Programming: Υοrgos Sarikos


Bios

Pelly Mandreka is a graphic designer and photographer based in Athens. In her work, she actively intervenes in the photographic medium, distorting its documentary value in order to construct meta-images that retain the appearance of objective recording. Her images appear convincingly real, while in essence they are entirely constructed—and therefore fully controlled. Through this process, she explores the fragile threshold where photography shifts from evidence to fiction, and from representation to deliberate fabrication.
Since 2015, she has participated in group projects, exhibitions, and competitions in Greece and abroad. Her project “THE PRESENT” received the Charta Award in 2022 and was published as a book in September 2023 by Yogurt Editions and ZONE magazine.

https://thepresent.gr/ - https://www.instagram.com/pellyscope/


Yorgos Karailias is a visual artist and cultural professional born in Athens. His work delves into the intricate interconnections between technical images and sociopolitical issues. It has been showcased at numerous international festivals and venues, and featured in several publications, including his photobooks “EstrangeR” (Kehrer Verlag, 2015) and “Personae non Gratae” (SP, 2020). He holds an MA in Modern History and has engaged in various artistic, curatorial, and educational collaborations with cultural entities and collectives. He currently lives and works between Spain and Greece.

https://www.yorgoskarailias.net/