Noted local painter Ellen Weijers-Gigourtaki of Vrachokipos was one of 34 artists participating in an exhibition sponsored by N.A.U.T.E (New Artists Union Traveling Through Europe), with the support of the European Cultural Foundation, recently held in the Basilica St Marcus, Iraklion. The exhibition, called Political Landscapes/Contemporary Landscapes drew a large number of spectators and provided an opportunity for the artists to exhibit their views on the modern landscape, moral attitudes, the advent of the consumer society and urbanization.

While most of the exhibiting artists were from Crete, others from France, Germany and Holland also participated.

Mrs. Weijers-Gigourtaki had two exhibits. One, which she calls Paradise Lost?, was a personal memory of a forest partly destroyed by fire near Kroutsas, Crete, and the other was a graffiti photo essay.

N.A.U.T.E. is a non-profit organization with one base in Crete and another in Strasbourg, and one of its aims is to encourage cultural exchanges between countries.