ZAFOS XAGORARIS

Time 2022-08-16 02:46:06

Web Name: ZAFOS XAGORARIS

WebSite: http://www.zafosxagoraris.net

ID:282953

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ZAFOS,XAGORARIS

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ZAFOS XAGORARIS

PUBLIC SOUND INSTALLATIONS AND OTHER WORKS

> The Concession

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“The Concession”, installation, Greek participation (“Mr. Stigl”) at the 58th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice, 2019.
In 1948, during the 24th Venice Biennale, because of the civil war the Greek pavilion was empty. The Greek government decided to give it to Peggy Guggenheim in order to exhibit her art collection. At the same time, at the concentration camp of the isolated island of Makronisos civilians and soldiers were forced to create copies of ancient Greek temples. This indoor and outdoor installation consists of archival material and a reconstructed gate of the Makronisos camp, attached in the entrance of the pavilion, altering its architectural design.

“The Concession”, installation of a reconstructed Makronisos gate in the entrance of the Greek pavilion, Greek participation (“Mr. Stigl”) at the 58th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice, 2019

“The Concession”, installation of a reconstructed Makronisos gate in the entrance of the Greek pavilion, Greek participation (“Mr. Stigl”) at the 58th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice, 2019

“The Concession”, a reconstructed Acropolis of Makronisos, a portrait of Peggy Guggenheim and archival material in a display case designed by Katerina Stefanidaki, Greek participation (“Mr. Stigl”) at the 58th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice, 2019

“The Concession”, a reconstructed Acropolis of Makronisos, a portrait of Peggy Guggenheim and archival material in a display case designed by Katerina Stefanidaki, Greek participation (“Mr. Stigl”) at the 58th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice, 2019

Cover of propaganda pamphlet with a photo of rehabilitated soldiers creating an Acropolis model at Makronisos, ASKI, Contemporary Social History Archives, Athens

Makronisos monument of the globe, a map of Greece and a lighthouse on the island illuminating the rest of the world, calendar, ASKI, Contemporary Social History Archives, Athens

> The Speaker

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“The Speaker: American Protests 1960s and Today”, installation and participatory event, UMMA Museum, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2018.

Combining archival material sourced from the Bentley Historical Library at University of Michigan with an interactive “soapbox,” visitors to this installation were able to communicate their own messages of dissent. The “soapbox,” complete with AV equipment, was designed to transmit the speaker’s voice outside of the museum and project a green-screen image of the visitor making an address from atop a 1964 Ford Thunderbird parked on the museum plaza — a historical nod to the famous image of Mario Savio during a Free Speech Movement protest in Berkeley.

> Dismantling Devices

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Series of tools for workshops in elementary and high schools, Education Program of the Onassis Cultural Center, Athens, 2017 – 19

Workshop on writing texts, constructing three-dimensional letters and create temporary inscriptions in the city, with the collaboration of Dimitra Ioannou and students of the 5th Elementary School of Dafni, “G. Bouzianis”, Educational Program of the Onassis Cultural Center, 2017 – 2018

Toolbox for temporary inscriptions, with the collaboration of Katerina Stefanidaki, Educational Program of the Onassis Cultural Center, Athens, 2017

Workshop on recording, editing and transmitting sound, with the collaboration of Nektarios Pappas and students of the 100th Elementary School, Educational Program of the Onassis Cultural Center, Athens, 2017 – 18

Levitation workshop, with the collaboration of Marina Miliou Theocharaki and students of the 43rd High School, Educational Program of the Onassis Cultural Center, 2017 – 18

Desk-hooks: One surface desks with hooks, allow the students to attach them on their front chairs or other objects of the city

Outdoor Press: Metal press installed on a series of desks creates a printing shop at the school’s courtyard

Ventriloquists: Masks and Wi-Fi devices turn the students into ventriloquists

> The Welcoming Gate

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A sign with the inscription XAIPETE! (pronounced herete in Greek, meaning HELLO!) used to be placed in the entrance of a prisoners camp in Görlitz, Germany. In 1916, approximately 7.000 Greek soldiers surrendered to the German forces. Since Greece was at the moment neutral to the war, these soldiers had a bizarre status, being at the same time guests as well as prisoners. The entire 4th Corps of Greek army was demobilized and carried by rail to Görlitz. The "guests" of the German Government remained there for almost three years. The prisoners were free to walk around the city, publish their own newspaper and realize some of the first historical recordings of Greek music. In commemoration to this historical event, which illustrates an undetermined sociopolitical status of the Greeks during World War I, Xagoraris re-creates the welcoming gate of the camp. Accompanying the structure are the sound recordings produced in the Görlitz camp and currently held at the archives of Humboldt University as well as the Ethnological Museum of Berlin..

Freiraum in der Box, Berlin, 2020

Open Air Care, installation of Downhill Classroom and educational program

“The Welcoming Gate”, outdoor installation, metal, canvas, acrylic, climbing plants, audio system, 750 x 720 x 80 cm, Hauptbahnhof Underpassage, documenta 14, Kassel, 2017

> The Niche

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In 1916, the Nomikos estate in Patissia opened the first open-air school for children suffering from first stages of tuberculosis. In the same area a few years later, the 8th Public Gymnasium was built. In the courtyard of the school, an open-walled chapel was designed by architect Nicholaos Mitsakis. This chapel gave the opportunity to all students, passersby and members of the community to coexist collectively in the courtyard and take part to the rituals. In 1937, the interior walls of the chapel were painted by Spyros Papaloukas. During the German invasion, the chapel was occupied and its walls were whitewashed, while in the 1950s the open side was covered by a wall. The project aims to contribute to the restoration of the chapel to its original form and to collectively activate the residents of the neighborhood, the students, the school’s administration, the church, the Municipality of Athens, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture. Printed material of Mitsakis’ drawings, collective actions around the project, the history of the building and related gestures are being added in an ongoing publication commissioned by documenta 14.

“The Niche”, printed document with Mitsakis’ drawings, images of the building and related actions, 24x16 cm, 8th Gymnasium, Athens, 2017 - (design by VIER5) “The Niche”, poster of action, 2017 (design by VIER5) “The Niche”, event at the 8th Gymnasium, Patissia, Athens, 2017

> The Performance

x Re-creation of the large neon sign announcing the theater performance “Our Great Circus”, coupled with a sound installation inspired by the play, both installed as part of a mobile structure. The play was written by Iakovos Kambanellis (1921-2011) and performed at the Athinaion Theater in 1973, just before the Athens Polytechnic uprising in November of that year against the military junta. “Our Great Circus” has come to be seen as one of the foremost direct critiques on the dictatorship and as an act of artistic resistance. “The Performance”, outdoor installation, ΝΕΟΝ city project 2016, parking lot next to the Athinaion Theater, Athens, 2016 (photo by Natalia Tsoukala) “The Performance”, outdoor installation, ΝΕΟΝ city project 2016, parking lot next to the Athinaion Theater, Athens, 2016 (photo by Natalia Tsoukala) “The Performance”, outdoor installation, ΝΕΟΝ city project 2016, parking lot next to the Athinaion Theater, Athens, 2016 (photo by Natalia Tsoukala)

> Sound Drawings

x Drawing with water mixable colors, “Sound Drawings”, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens, 2014 Drawing with water mixable colors, “Sound Drawings”, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens, 2014 Drawing with water mixable colors, “Sound Drawings”, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens, 2014 Drawing with water mixable colors, “Sound Drawings”, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens, 2014 Drawing with water mixable colors, “Basements and Elevations”, Lola Nikolaou Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2012

> Downhill

x "Downhill Talks", metal chairs with adjustable legs for conversations, readings or other events on uneven ground, 4th Athens Biennale, 2013 “Downhill Talks”, metal chairs with adjustable legs for conversations, readings or other events on uneven ground, with the collaboration of Francoise Heitsch Gallery, Munich, 2014 “Downhill Bed”, outdoor installation, group exhibition Politiche della Natura, Fondazione Zimei, Pescara, 2016 “Downhill Classroom”, installation, Benaki Museum, Athens, 2015 “The Downhill Classroom at the Open Air Community School”, installation and events, with the collaboration of the educational group Skasiarcheio, Pedion tou Areos, Athens, 2015

> Moving Bell Towers

x “Moving Bell Towers”, installation, Dispari & Dispari Project, Reggio Emilia, 2012 (photo by Dario Lasagni) “Moving Bell Towers”, installation, Dispari & Dispari Project, Reggio Emilia, 2012 (photo by Dario Lasagni) “Moving Bell Towers”, installation, Dispari & Dispari Project, Reggio Emilia, 2012 (photo by Dario Lasagni) “Moving Bell Towers”, drawing with water mixable colors, Dispari & Dispari Project, Reggio Emilia, 2012

> L’ Ecran Noir

x "L'Ecran Noir", interviews, installations and projections in abandoned theaters about the cancelled Cannes Film Festival of May 1968, (2010 – 2014) "L'Ecran Noir", interviews, installations and projections in abandoned theaters about the cancelled Cannes Film Festival of May 1968, (2010 – 2014)

> Distant Sounds

x Sound installation with the use of 15 deckchairs, 8 loudspeakers and 4 CD players, (sound recordings from Achna, Cyprus, Amazon region, Beijing, Tierra del Fuego and Baltic sea) Manifesta 7, Rovereto, 2008 Sound installation with the use of 15 deckchairs, 8 loudspeakers and 4 CD players, (sound recordings from Achna, Cyprus, Amazon region, Beijing, Tierra del Fuego and Baltic sea) Manifesta 7, Rovereto, 2008

> Legal Texts

x A limited, probably temporary change of a legal text can be responsible for a series of transformations, regarding the images of everyday life, the use of space or human relationships. An attempt to alter regulations concerning public life can also be feasible in cases of less important restrictions, such as regulations of an apartment block. For example, the suspension of the 5 Galileou Street apartment block regulation that allows the use of the roof only for drying washed clothes will change the image of the whole building. “Minor Alterations of Legal Texts or other Regulations”, selling flowers event with the collaboration of Francoise Heitsch Gallery, Glyptothek, Munich, 2010 “Minor Alterations of Legal Texts or other Regulations”, selling flowers event with the collaboration of Francoise Heitsch Gallery, Glyptothek, Munich, 2010 “Minor Alterations of Legal Texts or other Regulations”, event of selling flowers event, Open Grounds exhibition, Temple of Aphaia, Aegina, 2010 “Inner Fence”, installation of a second fence inside an existing one. Leaving the doors of the outer fence open, a narrow – public corridor is created. Art Lot, Brooklyn, NY, 2008 “Minor Alterations of Legal Texts or other Regulations”, 1st Thessaloniki Biennale, 5 Galilaiou St., Thessaloniki, 2007 “Minor Alterations of Legal Texts or other Regulations”, 1st Thessaloniki Biennale, 5 Galilaiou St., Thessaloniki, 2007

> Tide Bell

x “Tide Bell”, 1st Bienal Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, 2007. An aluminum 25kg bell was installed on an aluminum base in the harbor of Ushuaia at Tierra del Fuego. The bell appeared and disappeared alongside with the harbors tide. “Tide Bell”, 1st Bienal Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, 2007. An aluminum 25kg bell was installed on an aluminum base in the harbor of Ushuaia at Tierra del Fuego. The bell appeared and disappeared alongside with the harbors tide. “Tide Bell”, 1st Bienal Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, 2007. An aluminum 25kg bell was installed on an aluminum base in the harbor of Ushuaia at Tierra del Fuego. The bell appeared and disappeared alongside with the harbors tide.

> Avenida Rio Branco

x “Avenida Rio Branco - The Sound of Acre Sao Paulo”, Bienal, 2006 “Avenida Rio Branco - The Sound of Acre Sao Paulo”, Bienal, 2006 “Avenida Rio Branco - The Sound of Acre Sao Paulo”, Bienal, 2006

> Cyprus

x Due to specific political decisions and the historical events that led up to the Turkish invasion in 1974, Cyprus has a number of abandoned villages. These villages used to be inhabited by Greek-Cypriots, Turkish-Cypriots, or mixed population. A series of sound installations have taken place in situ, in order to animate these deserted areas. The Amp, a mechanism comprising of two speakers, an amplifier, a battery and a microphone, is installed in the center of each village, in a way that the almost non-existent sound of the place is enhanced and reproduced (2003-05)

Sound installation, Petrofani, 2004

Sound installation, Petrofani, 2004

> Three Bells

x “Three Bells” is composed of three in situ installations realized simultaneously in three different sites in the city: National Museum of Contemporary Art, Aghios Kosmas, The National Observatory, Athens. The bells address an imperceptible, common, undelivered invitation for assembly. As they sound, they simultaneously create a conceivable rhythm, a silent chime that invites communion (2003) “Three Bells”, Aghios Kosmas, 2003. On the pier of the Hellenic Naval Club of Greeks in Egypt, at Aghios Kosmas, a bell of 25 kg is placed, tolling every 5 minutes.

> Range

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Since 2000, a series of experiments, events, or equipment arrangements attempted to indicate the limits around a source, materializing the most remote points of its capacity.

“Archer”, action during the exhibition - Sketching out today, tomorrow and yesterday -, Metsovo, Greece, 2002 “Interference”, action-experiment trying to define the marginal points surrounding a screen, from where a sender could send an image (TV screen, sender, remote control vehicle, camera), Langenlois, Austria, 2002

> Periscopes

x A series of drawings, devices and installations for the amplification of vision through tubes, mirrors and lenses (1998-2007) “Bidirectional Periscope”, drawing with water mixable colors, 1998 “Heptapyrgion Periscope”, installation, 1st Thessaloniki Biennale, Heptapyrgion prison, 2007

> Biography

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Zafos Xagoraris (Athens, 1963) has studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with an Alexander S. Onassis Foundation scholarship. His Ph.D. was about the construction of miracles by Hero of Alexandria (Department of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens).

He has presented various personal exhibitions while his work is consisted by drawings, obstructing devices of visual or other signals and public installations of sound amplification mechanisms.

Xagoraris has participated in exhibitions such as the 58th Venice Biennale, Greek Pavilion, “Mr. Stigl”, 2019, ‘Have we met? Dialogues on Memory and Desire”, Stamps Gallery, Ann Arbor, 2018, Documenta 14, Kassel and Athens, 2017, Politiche della Natura, Fondazione Zimei, Pescara, 2016, 4th Athens Biennial, 2013, Sotto Quale Cielo, Museo Riso, Palermo, 2011, ETICO_F, Termini Imerese, 2010. Also, Manifesta 7, Rovereto, 2008, 1st Bienal Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, 2007, 1st Thessaloniki Biennale, 2007 and the 27th Sao Paulo Bienal, 2006.

He was one of the curators of the Greek Pavilion of the 9th Venice Biennale of architecture (2004) and the 2nd Athens Biennial (2009), while he has presented the outdoor installations: “Downhill Classroom”, Benaki Museum, Athens, 2015 and “The Performance”, NEON city project, Athens, 2016.

He is currently teaching at the Athens School of Fine Arts and has taught at the University of Patras and Sassari. He was a Witt Artist in Residence at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan, 2018, a visiting scholar at the Columbia University, NY, (Fulbright Scholar, 2004). He has been invited to present his work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, D’Annunzio University, Pescara, IUAV, Venice, Academy of Fine Arts, Palermo, School of Visual Arts, NY, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and many others.

Books about his work have been published by Patakis Publishers, “The Arrow and the Eye”, Athens, 2002 and “Amps” (designed by metoo, Athens, 2006), the Athens National Museum of Contemporary Art, EMST, “Three Bells”, 2003 and Postmedia Books, “Silencers and Amplifiers” (edited by Massimiliano Scuderi) Milan, 2009.

“Zafos Xagoraris - The Performance” (edited by Katerina Gregos and designed by Speculoos) NEON, Brussels and, as part of his participation in documenta 14, “The Niche” (designed by VIER5) were published in 2017.

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