Maria Nikiforaki: RITUALS FOR NEW FUTURES. The Descent to the Underworld
Exhibition
MGLC Švicarija, 29. 10. 2025, at 17.00
Rituals for New Futures is an ongoing artistic exploration of the transformative potential of ritual as a tool for reshaping both political and ecological realities. Blending performance art, mythology and speculative fiction, the project draws extensively from sci-fi feminism to reimagine futures in which marginalised voices are not only heard, but are central to the narrative. Through a series of performative acts, the project engages with vital environmental concerns while simultaneously reclaiming ritual as a form of feminist resistance and empowerment.
At its core is a fictional, sci-fi-inspired heroine who evolves across three interconnected chapters, each centred on one of the classical elements: air, fire and water. These elements are not only symbolic but serve as active agents of transformation, guiding the protagonist through the different stages of becoming.
Chapter 1 (Air): La Creación de Una Heroína (2024, video, 6’)
The first chapter, La Creación de Una Heroína, is set against the backdrop of Madrid and centres on air as a spirit. This exploration weaves the elemental nature of air into a narrative journey that examines environmental consciousness, blending visual storytelling with supernatural themes. Through the process of a promenade, the heroine embarks on a spiritual quest, uncovering the hidden voices and stories carried by the air. This journey enables her to communicate with the air itself, revealing its memories, warnings and wisdom. In doing so, the work challenges us to listen to our environment and acknowledge the collective narratives that shape our futures.
Chapter 2 (Fire): Awakening Death (2025, video, 5’20’’)
Set against the haunted beauty of Prague, Awakening Death explores the element of fire, invoking its deep connection to memory, burial and rebirth. The heroine embarks on a mythic journey through coal and fire – materials that not only power civilisations but also bear the scars of extraction and loss. Through a spiritual lens, fire becomes both destroyer and guide, illuminating forgotten histories and possible futures shaped by political and environmental change. Her journey takes her to Milada Lake, an artificial lake born from the remnants of a former coal mine, now a symbol of post-industrial reclamation. Here, she communes with Morana, the Slavic goddess of death and winter, often cast into rivers and lakes as a burning effigy during spring rituals marking the end of winter. Morana becomes both companion and mirror, a voice of ancient wisdom in a landscape reshaped by human hands.
Chapter 3 (Water): The Descent to the Underworld (2025, video, 20’)
The final chapter takes place in Ljubljana, where the heroine descends into the underworld via subterranean waters. Water becomes a conduit for deep transformation, cleansing and dissolving boundaries between worlds. In this immersive and mythic environment, the heroine undergoes her final metamorphosis, becoming a living portal between realities – a symbol of cyclical rebirth and the fluid nature of identity, resistance and time.
Central to this chapter is the creation of a special wetsuit which glows under UV light, inspired by the bioluminescence of marine life. The bioluminescent suit, designed for the film, becomes a key visual element within this journey – an embodiment of otherworldliness, transformation and the luminous potential of the unknown.
Maria Nikiforaki is a visual artist working at the intersection of performance art, film and dance. She uses choreography and film strategies to introduce social connotation to the movement and body, searching for performative practices that can introduce emotional worlds as a political stance. (More: marianikiforaki.com)
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