Mantora had been taking shape quietly for months — through paintings, colour tests, silk samples, first prototypes and many small decisions.

When the time came to share it for the first time, Syros felt like the natural place to begin.

Our first reveal took the form of an exhibition bringing together the original paintings and the silk pieces that had emerged from them. It was the first time the two worlds were presented side by side — and the first time Mantora stepped out from behind the scenes.

The days leading up to the exhibition were filled with all the small things that come with presenting something new for the first time: unpacking boxes, arranging paintings and silk pieces, testing different displays, changing our minds, moving things around and gradually seeing everything come together. 

Until then, Mantora had mostly existed between us, the studio and the people involved in creating it. This exhibition changed that.

Seeing visitors discover the pieces, touch the silk, look back at the original paintings and notice details we had been looking at for months made the whole idea feel suddenly more real. 

Our first presentation was small, personal and closely connected to the place where so much of the story began: Syros.