“Passage into Light” is the title of the new exhibition by painter Christos Bokoros, which will be hosted with great pleasure at the Basilica of Saint Mark by the Municipality of Heraklion, the Deputy Mayoralty of Culture, and the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion, with the opening taking place on Friday, April 4, 2025, at 7:30 in the evening.
The exhibition will remain open until May 31, 2025.

This is the first time that Christos Bokoros presents in Heraklion a pictorial narrative specially designed for Crete. Older representative works of the artist, along with newer ones that have never been exhibited before, function together as a unified whole, in dialogue with the religious character of the Venetian Basilica of Saint Mark, which, through the weight of its cultural path, highlights the timeless quest for light.

In his statement, the Mayor of Heraklion, Alexis Kalokairinos, thanks Christos Bokoros for his generous offer, as well as all those who contributed to making the exhibition happen, noting:
“We are preparing to welcome Christos Bokoros’ exhibition at the Basilica of Saint Mark as a contribution that does not confine itself to the aesthetic field, but claims a role in giving meaning to the world. As the Municipality of Heraklion, we take initiatives and support efforts that help shape the cultural fabric of the city, aiming for the development of a fruitful dialogue between the community and the creators. This exhibition is not just an artistic proposal, but a challenge to redefine our relationship with art and the world.”

Deputy Mayor of Culture, Rena Papadaki-Skalidi, expressed her joy and certainty that the exhibition will be one of the top cultural events in the Municipality of Heraklion:
“With great joy, the Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion welcomes the exhibition ‘Passage into Light’ by Christos Bokoros. With his 56 new and older works, the artist creates a pathway of light, transforming the Basilica of Saint Mark into an active interlocutor. I am certain that the visual passage of Christos Bokoros, with the mystagogical lighting by Eleftheria Deko, will be recorded as one of the major cultural events of our city.”

In the public consciousness, Bokoros is a painter associated with the flame – a quintessential symbol of light. If in the candle the artist mastered the ability to depict the moment as an archetypal image, the event as an idea, then in the monument of Heraklion he travels his vision of the “sublime”.
“What is light? Only tones and shades? Is that enough? Is light perhaps merely a device for representing the image of the world? A chromatic quality, a tonal scale, a plastic value? An achievement? Or is light itself what is being sought? A superior need, phototropism as intrinsic value, a path, a direction!” he wonders.

After a career with dozens of exhibitions in museums in Greece and abroad, the Basilica of Saint Mark becomes the ideal space to express the feeling of “community”, which the artist often references.
As Bokoros sees art as a “path of self-knowledge”, the communal element is expressed in the monument through the act of painting. Along with the bread, wine, and oil, a “bright incision” at the center of the sanctuary emerges as a crack in human certainty – a reminder that the spirit cannot be trapped in matter.

At the Basilica of Saint Mark, Bokoros shares a personal journey of initiation. His presence coincides with the Easter period, a moment of mystagogy and inner rebirth. Light, the protagonist of his work, converses with the light of the Resurrection, offering the viewer the opportunity for personal reflection. The painting of Christos Bokoros is atmospherically lit by Emmy-awarded Eleftheria Deko.