Fast forward to the present day and the prehistoric “Ladies of Kea” continue to inspire links between antiquity and contemporary art on the same-name Cyclades island, which is also known as Tzia. The exhibition, entitled “The Ladies of Kea,” opens this week (Aug. 8) in the village of Vourkari and brings together contemporary artists whose work draws inspiration from one of the Aegean’s most distinctive archaeological discoveries. The exhibition centers on the celebrated clay female statues unearthed at the prehistoric settlement and sanctuary of Agia Irini (St. Irene), on the northwest coast of Kea, the northernmost of the Cyclades islands. More than 50 statues and numerous fragments were recovered from the sanctuary, depicting elaborately dressed female figures standing or apparently engaged in ritual movement. The exhibition runs from Aug. 8 to Aug. 18 at the former kindergarten building in Vourkari.