Beyond Time – Icon Exhibition by Loukas & Irene Seroglou

"Beyond Time" – Icon Exhibition by Loukas & Irene Seroglou

When: 24.07 – 19.08.2026 Opening Hours: Daily, 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00 Where: Bürgerspitalkirche St. Jakob, next to the Kammerhofmuseum, Gmunden

The title of the exhibition points to the transcendent origin and the timeless dimension of icon painting. Beginning with the mysterious Fayum mummy portraits, which were developed by the early Christians into one of the most significant forms of expression in spiritual art, a visual language unfolds that makes the invisible tangible. The icon is far more than a devotional image: it is a place of encounter, contemplation, and inner transformation. For centuries, monks have meditated on this "vehicle of heaven," which symbolizes the transition from the visible world into the absolute. The artist couple Loukas and Irene Seroglou once again present the thematic diversity and artistic depth of icon painting. Alongside classical depictions of saints, small-format icons framed by Byzantine and Italian book ornamentation will be on display.

SHORT BIOGRAPHIES

Loukas Seroglou came to Vienna on a scholarship in 1960, where he studied architecture, painting, commercial graphics, and decoration, and participated in numerous competitions and major projects, including the overbuilding of the Franz Josef Bahnhof and the AKH. His artistic journey began with a series of surreal paintings whose central theme is the question of life's meaning; most of these are in private collections, including that of the former Austrian Federal President Dr. Rudolf Kirchschläger. Through years of stays in the monastic republic of Mount Athos in Greece, he discovered his love of icon painting, which he learned from several monks. He is also a state-certified tour guide for Austria and Greece.

Irene P. Seroglou completed her studies at the Music Conservatory in Athens with a major in piano. After a brief period of philosophy studies in Luxembourg, she came to Vienna to devote herself together with her husband to icon painting, which she learned from various icon painters on Corfu and Crete. In addition to traditional icons, she specializes in combining iconography with realism. In 2025, she was nominated for the St. Leopold Peace Prize of Stift Klosterneuburg.

Icons by Loukas and Irene Seroglou can be found in private collections, monasteries, and churches in Austria, Greece, Germany, France, and the USA.