«Video echoes: Waves form Eastern Mediterranean» is a video exhibition that is currently showing in the Counihan Gallery in Brunswick, Melbourne. The artists that take part in the exhibition are from a Mediterranean background and hope to provide a modern look in their countries. Among them are Marianna Christofides from Cyprus and Stefanos Tsivopoulos from Greece. The curator of the exhibition, Victor Griss talked to Vasili Ragousi, who initially asked him how the idea for the exhibition came about.
The exhibition got its title from a trip mr. Griss did to Europe, last year. The purpose of his journey was to visit some of the major art events in the world, such as the Venice Biennale and the international Documenta exhibition which was held in two countries: Greece and Germany.
While on his trip, mr. Griss had the opportunity to see many impressive videos. A good number of them came from eastern Mediterranean. This gave him the idea to hold an exhibition in the Counihan Gallery in Brunsewick, Melbourne. Mr. Griss believes that the exhibition will resonate with the locals as many of them have a Mediterranean background. The title of the exhibition also refers to the impact international developments, such as conflict and migration, can have to Australia.
The main theme of the exhibition, which ties all the works together, is the idea of the Mediterranean and how the sea can divide or unite. This dichotomy is present in all the works, but mr. Griss points out that many of them explore it in different ways.
Who are the Greek speaking artists?
Marianna Christofides was born in Leukosia in Cyprus. Her video is titled «Along the G-Line». The main character of the story is a young boy who is playing along the Green Line (also known as the UN Buffer Zone) in Leukosia. The video explores the idea of borders and how this innocent child reacts to this line that divides Cyprus into two parts.
The second artist is Stefanos Tsivopoulos. His video bears the title «History Zero» and was filmed in three parts. The characters of the video are a migrant, an artist and an art collector. The theme of «History Zero» is about the idea of Value and what it means for each of us. This is the thread that ties the characters together. The migrant is trying to make a living and the materials he leaves behind are used by the artist to create works of art. Eventually they end up in the hnads of the collector.
On a last note, mr. Griss points out that one of the aims of the exhibition is to present a contemporary look of the Mediterranean. According to him, the world often gets stuck in the history of that area and the artists who take part in the exhibition hope to present their countries as they are today.
You can find out more about the exhibition here.
