DEJA VISITE
I Have visited this before
Deja Visite is a process of the mind that involves the sense that an individual has already visited a place they find themselves in, even though there is no evidence that confirms so. They feel as though they can navigate and orientate themselves within the space, as if they know how and where they want to go.
This series of works attempts to activate this mechanism, through the use of disused objects and images as a departure point, in order to evoke places, time periods and gestures that have long past and been forgotten by those who experienced them. In this way, forgotten and disused objects are brought to centre stage, focussing on insignificant gesture and trace as testimony of a precise moment.
The collection of objects and materials comprise the first act of an idiosyncratic archeology attempted by the artist. Resulting in the transformation of a personal moment into a universal one, and the subversion of the hierarchy between significance and insignificance.
16/9/2021, Solo Exhibition at Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery
DEUX PIECE
Three couples of the Greek diaspora: Uzbekistan, Egypt, Turkey, in the decades between 1950 and 1980. Through authentic albums of their lives, found in Athens’ open-air markets, an attempt is made to explore the concept of coupledom.
By placing the artist in the role of the observer, the art work aims to explore the gaps in time and space that are triggered by the material in the albums, and to pose questions such as:
How does one converse with the absolutely personal and construct the gaps between documents? How does one chose to document their own life? How does one capture and immortalise their significant other? What constitutes a homeland and what is the importance of a souvenir?
Through testimonies from archival material and direct research with members of the Greek diaspora, the artist aims to construct a unique archive that balances between reality and fiction and will culminate in a series of portraits of the three couples, seen through an artistic prism. Thus, the artistic production of drawings, symbols, sculptures and objects will tell a new story.
The project is a work in progress and will complete its first phase which involves interviews and interdisciplinary research, by the end of this year
Fulfillment of the artistic research in December 2021, funded by the Cultural Ministry of Greece