At the heart of Dimitris Zouroudis’ artistic exploration lies the concept of mapping—not simply as a means of recording geographical space, but as a way of understanding human experience and the constantly
shifting paths of thought.
The starting point for the exhibition is the portolan chart, one of the remarkable achievements of medieval cartography. These navigational charts brought together art, geography, navigation and material knowledge, transforming the accumulated experience of maritime journeys into visual representations of space. They provided seafarers with a means of navigating between known points, negotiating danger and venturing into the unknown.
In Dimitris Zouroudis’ work, however, the map moves from the geographical landscape into the landscape of the mind. Just as the navigator traces a course between familiar landmarks, uncertainty and unexplored waters, human thought continuously creates and follows its own routes. Knowledge, instinct, memory, emotion and desire become invisible points of orientation, leading at times towards safety and at others towards risk.
The exhibition can therefore be understood as an archaeology of the cartographic image, while simultaneously becoming an investigation into the human condition: our need to map what we have never seen, to anticipate what we do not know, and to find our way through an ever-changing landscape.
The lines and pathways of the portolan chart become pathways of thought. Points, routes and crossings are transformed into a mental cartography, where the course is not always predetermined and the destination is never entirely certain.
In this sense, the voyage becomes as important as the destination. Like seafarers who once took their chances on uncharted waters, the mind too navigates between the security of what is known and the attraction of what is desired. Instinct may guide us towards safety, or tempt us towards risk. Desire may remain unfulfilled, yet the experience of longing itself can offer a peculiar sense of satisfaction. “Portolan Charts for Disoriented Neurotransmitters” invites the viewer to contemplate their own
journey—to consider the invisible maps through which we navigate, the routes shaped by experience and instinct, and the uncertain waters between what we know and what we long to discover.
Ultimately, we continue to sail, sometimes guided, sometimes disoriented, like a plaything or a feather in the wind.