Ipoga was adopted sometime in 2011 by Demetres Spyrou and Stelios Andronikou in search for the perfect space that could accommodate the variety of activities they set their mind into. The space constantly transforms according to the requirements of the work presented allowing it also to unfold its different potentials to each visitor in each performance. After speaking to Demetres he confesses this transformation is never intentional but more accidental. When choosing the performance whether it’s theatrical or musical, the team sits and lets the performance itself choose the space it requires for it to “work”.

Both performers seem to have a mutual understanding of what the space was going to serve and their plays and concerts have as main focus the subject of the human being and the society it lives in, never ignoring the past, present and future of its being. Humour, intensiveness, tragedy are just a few of the ingredients anyone attending the performances can experience and take home with them.

Although both take the role of directing and acting, setting the scenery and performing music, one completing the other, when needed, I would like to take a moment to separate them as I’ve personally experienced them in some of the performances I attended.

During the theatrical plays Stelios sets the scene in an innovative way that seems like we are witnessing a playground with constant games of light Vs darkness, whispers Vs shouts, laughter Vs cries, actor Vs himself. The setting usually is so simplified allowing ones imagination to travel and giving the games the right space to commence. Stelios, an exceptional actor, connects with his crowd so strongly leaving one with the impression he was trying to reach only that one. Sometimes sarcastic, other times plane joker, in despair to be heard, crying for a burning tree, he truly makes the things we sometimes consider small to be big, and the things that seem the world to be a nothing.

Whilst the musical performances are on, the space is consumed by a completely different energy. Demetres performs one of his acts, “ACAPELLA SOLO LOOP Listening to Voices- Part 1a” with himself and himself. Sometimes, he is joined with another himself and with the other three an exquisite quartet is formed. Maintaining his subject around life and his perception of it, he combines monologues and performs music with a variety of his own innovative instruments you must only experience to be able to appreciate. Call me sensitive, but once his mourning sounds left me with tears in my eyes thinking of all the times I wished I mourned that way.

Their devotion towards this task they’ve undertaken is much respected by their crowd and the respect they share towards each other is easily noticeable making us respect them even more. In my surprise, after the brief session with Demetres, I found out that these two individuals were not close friends in the past, and that sharing the same dream for the creation of a space like Ipoga was the reason that brought them together.

I was most delighted when Demetres informed me of the documentary screening on the 06 November 2012 “An Underground World-Elias Petropoulos” and also of his upcoming performances in Avaton Music Festival, Loop Festival 2013 and a Rialto performance at the end of January, beginning of February.

“Nothing would be achieved without friends and the people that support us by attending our performances” Demetres Spyrou

Ipoga is located in Misiaouli kai Kavazoglou 27 kai Likourgou gonia 99679579 99098255

Play-

Primitive

Individual
Collective

Instinctive
intuition- what really defines this term?

Does it exist? Is intuition overrated or underestimated? Loosely defined, the term intuition means the act of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes. In psychology intuition has drawn much attention. Psychiatrist Carl G. Jung, in Psychology Types (1923) described intuition as “a perception of realities which are not known to the conscious, and which goes via the unconscious.” Intuition, he said, is not merely a perception, but a creative process with the capacity to inspire.

The very recent performance by .pelma acted on an attempt to come in touch with the individual’s (performers) intuitive responses towards themselves, the space, each other, music and the audience. What looked like an ongoing improvisation within a physically enclosed circle of people (audience) turned out to arouse in my understanding a deeper response. I got to thinking about automatism and how automatic responses whether in movement or in speech- fortunately or unfortunately- remain repressed. Its one thing that automatic responses in the social sphere should be limited or avoided even, but how about it when it comes to dance? Observing the people around me, i noticed a middle aged couple exactly opposite. Their reactions were remarkable. I got to thinking about their understanding of dance and how they came to realize what was happening in front of them. Suspicious at the beginning, uncomfortable and tight, but as it evolved it seemed like they were looking at their grandsons and granddaughters playing in the yard.

My humble guess is that some might found it pretentious, some silly, some infuriating but none thought of it as insignificant since it can bring up questions and even criticism. Although I enjoyed it and was interesting enough for me to write about it the truth is that I myself engaged in this question – answer process about the specific performance. The answers I gave myself agreed to my initial response towards the ‘situation’ in which I (as well as the rest of the audience) became part in. I saw how the performers came in touch with our primitive nature and it felt like I was a viewer in a tribal ceremony. It was about stripping layer by layer the act of dancing as such, realizing its most pure nature; its essence. That which is the most real and sincere: communication. If art and in this case dance is not about communication then what is?

.pelma envisioned in this performance a form of communication that finds its roots in intuition: a mental and bodily function associated with a gut feeling response towards themselves, music, viewers, and dance itself inviting us to come in tune with our intuition.

The artist: Thomas Houseago. The title: The mess I ʼm looking forʼ. ʻThe mess Iʼm looking forʼ will act as the third part in a trilogy of exhibiitions comprising Houseagoʼs debut show with the gallery, with ʻIll be your sisterʼ and ʻSpecial Brewʼ, opening at Hauser & Wirth London, Saville Row on 7 September. For his first solo show in Switzerland, Houseago will present a new, large-scale figure and a selection of wall works, including reliefs and masks. Together, these works showcase Houseagoʼs vast range of influences, from the abundance of nature and the sculpture of non–Western art to the superheroes and villains of comic books and cartoons. Houseagoʼs interpretation of these subjects highlights his sensitivity both to the art of the Renaissance and the masters of Modernism, as well as his own innovative approach to figurative sculpture. Spreading across over five meters of the galleryʼs floor, Houseagoʼs monumental figure is resolutely flat – a combination of a head and hands formed from iron bar and a torso and limbs made from boards of Tuff–cal plaster outlined with restless graphite sketches.

Yet despite its raw, unfinished quality and its skeletal, two- dimensional form, the reclining figure seems to press into the ground with such force that it looks as if it might rise up from its supine position at any moment to tower over the viewer.

Further, Houseagoʼs masks vary in size from small wall works, to large visages balanced on wooden pedestals. Characteristic of Houseagoʼs sculptures, each mask bears the mark of its maker; grooves from the artistʼs hands provide texture to the already rough surfaces of the works. Yet, despite the conspicuous presence of the artist, these ghostly faces seem to possess a character of their own. Their hollow gaze returns that of the viewer with a unique combination of aggression and vulnerability. A new bronze relief will also be on view in Zurich. An exercise and exploration of formal composition, Houseagoʼs reliefs range from single panels to triptychs reminiscent of altarpieces from the Northern Renaissance, with each section defined by a rigid, rectangular border. Houseago fills the reliefs with sturdy trees with numerous snake-like branches and muscular human figures standing in traditional poses, all confined within the strict space of the panels.

Where

Cost

Free

Where

click on images to open  the video

Eraserhead- In Heaven

Massimo Ruberti-Giorno Assoluto

Bill Viola- Emergence

Guy Bourdin- Le Bon Marche

Nowness presents-Nobuyoshi Araki for the Reality Show

Dali- Impressions de la Haute Mongolie part one

EPISODE 1: THE LOCAL SEARCH

OPENING: FRIDAY 21/09/2012

07:00 – 11:00 PM

Open daily until 30th of September 2012 12:00 am – 8:00 pm

konteiner

Australias 6, 3017, Limassol | Tel.e 25660081

http://www.facebook.com/abonded.konteiner

http://abondedkonteiner.com

Kyriakos Christodoulou 

Christina Papakyriakou 

Marina Xenofontos

Curated by Maria Toumazou

Supported by:

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Press Release:

Konteiner is an artist-run non-profit association for contemporary art founded in December 2011.  We are now pleased to announce the first exhibition organized in Konteiner, entitled A Series of Paradox Episodes, Episode 1: The Local Search.  The space has already been used as a party venue, gathering spot and collective studio.  The artists look to their immediate space adopting this loose history of Konteiner to echo their informal positioning in the art world upon presenting their formal elements.

The individual work of Kyriakos Christodoulou, Christina Papakyriakou and Marina Xenofontos comes together to compose a first episode for the public. Despite each one using their acutely distinct language they still manage to converse with each other’s lingo.  The three artists manifest current trends and themes which are contemporary today, not only in “The Local Search” but also the universal.

For the first time Kyriakos Christodoulou presents a series of installations.  In his work he inverts familiar forms to subtly comment upon hegemonic structures of all kinds, avoiding any familiar methods of artistic didacticism.  The elements of surprise and perhaps satire are achieved by techniques of color blocking and the capricious combination of materials such as fabric, mirror and even rosewater.  Throughout this body of work he absorbs the sensitivity of materials, without denying their symbolism.

Christina Papakyriakou is a classically trained artist in drawing. In the past she has emphasized the importance of material and her craftsmanship.  In this new body of work she moves from the figurative element and the drawing medium to a sculptural experimentation. She has intuitively been drawn to construction material, exploring the way she can channel her craft skills through them.  The only piece reminiscent of her previous work is a pencil drawing conveying the exhibition space itself, a decision that instigates ideas of demystification around the art process.

Marina Xenofontos presents a series of works ranging from drawing, sound and photographic installations.  The artist methodically uses pastel color palettes whilst she paradoxically approaches canons of national struggle and religious spatial elements.  Her body of work is rich in variations of mediums but in spirit it resembles a not-so-old photograph being viewed over a color filtered slide projector.  Xenofontos appropriates styles associated with childhood naivety in opposition to her context of historical narratives.

The three artists explore themes of construction methods and materials in relation to the art-making process.   This exhibition successfully sums up current trends and discourses being made in gallery spaces today.  Kyriakos Christodoulou, Christina Papakyriakou and Marina Xenofontos are part of an emerging generation of integral contemporary artist.  They not only share common stylistic and thematic work but most notably they command a new tendency of independently organized artists.

[Αλληλουχία Παράδοξων Επεισοδίων, Επεισόδιο 1: Επιτόπια Έρευνα]

Κυριάκος Χριστοδούλου/ Χριστίνα Παπακυριάκου/ Μαρίνα Ξενοφώντος

Εγκαίνια: Παρασκευή 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012, 7:00-11:00 μμ

Ανοιχτά καθημερινά μέχρι 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012, 12:00 – 8:00 μμ

Δελτιο Τυπου:

Το «Κοντέινερ» είναι ένας μη κερδοσκοπικός σύνδεσμος σύγχρονης τέχνης που διευθύνεται από καλλιτέχνες. Ιδρύθηκε τον Δεκέμβριο του 2011. Σήμερα ανακοινώνουμε με ικανοποίηση την πρώτη έκθεση που οργανώνεται στο Κοντέινερ, με τίτλο A Series of Paradox Episodes, Episode 1: The Local Search [Αλληλουχία Παράδοξων Επεισοδίων, Επεισόδιο 1: Επιτόπια Έρευνα]. Ο χώρος έχει ήδη αξιοποιηθεί για διεξαγωγή πάρτι, ως σημείο συγκέντρωσης και ως συλλογικό στούντιο. Οι καλλιτέχνες αντλούν από τον προσκείμενο χώρο, υιοθετώντας την ρευστή ιστορία του Κοντέινερ προκειμένου να αντηχήσουν την άτυπη τοποθέτησή τους στον κόσμο της τέχνης μέσα από τα τυπικά τους στοιχεία.

Οι ατομικές δουλειές του Κυριάκου Χριστοδούλου, της Χριστίνας Παπακυριάκου και της Μαρίνας Ξενοφώντος συγκεράζονται για να συνθέσουν το πρώτο επεισόδιο για το κοινό. Ο καθένας τους χρησιμοποιεί μιαν απόλυτα ιδιαίτερη γλώσσα, εντούτοις καταφέρνουν να συνομιλήσουν μέσα από ξεχωριστές ιδιολέκτους. Οι τρεις καλλιτέχνες πραγματεύονται τάσεις και θέματα που είναι σύγχρονα σήμερα, όχι μόνο στην «Επιτόπια Έρευνα» αλλά και στην παγκόσμια.

Ο Κυριάκος Χριστοδούλου παρουσιάζει για πρώτη φορά μια σειρά εγκαταστάσεων. Αντιστρέφει τις γνώριμες φόρμες για να αναφερθεί ακροθιγώς σε κάθε είδους ηγεμονικές δομές, αποφεύγοντας τις οικείες μεθόδους καλλιτεχνικού διδακτισμού. Τα στοιχεία του αιφνιδιασμού και ενδεχομένως της σάτιρας επιτυγχάνονται μέσα από τεχνικές έντονων χρωματικών συνδυασμών (colour blocking) και έναν ιδιότυπο συνδυασμό υλικών, όπως το ύφασμα, ο καθρέφτης, ακόμη και το ροδόνερο. Μέσα απʼ τον συγκεκριμένο όγκο δουλειάς απορροφά την ευαισθησία των υλικών, χωρίς να αρνείται τον συμβολισμό τους.

Η Χριστίνα Παπακυριάκου ακολούθησε κλασική εκπαίδευση στο σχέδιο. Στο παρελθόν έδωσε έμφαση στη σπουδαιότητα των υλικών και στην δεξιοτεχνία της. Σε αυτή την καινούρια της δουλειά, μεταβαίνει από το μεταφορικό στοιχείο και το σχέδιο, στον γλυπτικό πειραματισμό. Διαισθητικά έλκεται από υλικά οικοδομής, διερευνώντας τον τρόπο με τον οποίο μπορεί μέσα σʼ αυτά να διοχετεύσει την τέχνη της. Το μοναδικό κομμάτι που ανακαλεί προηγούμενα έργα της είναι ένα σκίτσο με μολύβι, το οποίο αποδίδει  τον ίδιο τον χώρο έκθεσης, σε μια απόφαση που δίνει έναυσμα σε ιδέες απομυθοποίησης της όλης καλλιτεχνικής διαδικασίας.

Η Μαρίνα Ξενοφώντος παρουσιάζει μια σειρά έργων που κυμαίνονται από τα σχέδια μέχρι τις ηχητικές και φωτογραφικές εγκαταστάσεις. Η καλλιτέχνης χρησιμοποιεί με μεθοδικό τρόπο παστέλ χρωματικές παλέτες, προσεγγίζοντας με παράδοξο τρόπο πρότυπα εθνικού αγώνος και θρησκευτικά χωρικά στοιχεία. Το έργο της βρίθει παραλλαγών διαφόρων μέσων, εντούτοις στο πνεύμα ομοιάζει με μια όχι και τόσο παλιά φωτογραφία, ιδωμένη μέσα από προβολέα διαφανειών με φίλτρο χρώματος. Η Ξενοφώντος οικειοποιείται τεχνοτροπίες που συσχετίζονται με την παιδική αφέλεια, σε αντιπαράθεση με το πλαίσιο των ιστορικών αφηγήσεων.

Και οι τρεις καλλιτέχνες διερευνούν ζητήματα μεθόδων και υλικών κατασκευής σε σχέση με την διαδικασία της καλλιτεχνικής δημιουργίας. Η έκθεση αυτή συνοψίζει επιτυχώς τις σύγχρονες τάσεις και λόγους που διαμορφώνονται σήμερα σε χώρους γκαλερί. Ο Κυριάκος Χριστοδούλου, η Χριστίνα Παπακυριάκου και η Μαρίνα Ξενοφώντος ανήκουν σε μια αναδυόμενη γενιά ολοκληρωμένων σύγχρονων καλλιτεχνών. Όχι μόνο μοιράζονται κοινές τεχνοτροπίες και θεματικές, αλλά πάνω απʼ όλα καθορίζουν μια νέα τάση ανεξάρτητα οργανωμένων καλλιτεχνών.

nosaj thing

Στελλα Χασκιλ-Ακρογιαλιές Δειλινά

positive noise-hypnosis

Gold Panda – Marriage (Star Slinger Remix) OFFICIAL / HD

japan-ghosts

Xploding Plastix – skinny love spasm

Mogwai – Take me somewhere nice

lali puna-micronomic

bran van 3000 – Drinkin in LA (to H)

Schneider TM – “The Light 3000″ City Slang

Iannis Xenakis – Metastasis

Bullion – Crazy Over You

J viewz – Protected

Space – Magic Fly (Discomare 1977) video kurtigghiu

“The coffee-house is a space used in various ways- for resting, for enjoying a measured coffee.  For reading papers, listening to the radio, or watching TV. It is also a place where men can expect to find each other, where they can leave messages, exchange information, gossip, gamble, play various board games, destroy or confirm reputations and talk politics.”* 

Philippou’s photographs depict the coffee house as is; with no one inside. Its corners, arrangement of objects, images on the walls altogether allude to a mental scenario of what constitutes a typical cypriot coffee house.  The very first photograph representing the kafeneion was taken by a foreign travel photographer named John Thomson (who came to Cyprus in 1878) and bears the following caption:

“Rude jetties invade the sea, while the shore bristles with wooden piles, the wrecks of landing stages, or waterside cafes. Larnaca, indeed looks as if it had been froping its way seawards, with a thousand antennae, in search of purer air or social reform. Nevertheless, its old-world aspect, its rich colors, its quaint architecture, and even its decay, all tend to render the place one of the most picturesque of Levantine ports.”*

Οne of the first dilemmas that Philippou encountered as he says was to define the scope of the project. The question he set then, was “what sets the kafeneion as an ‘indigenous species’ apart from the many alternative contemporary variations of cafe?” His book is made up of several chapters that concern the Kafeneion such as: “Kafeneion Politics”, “The Emergence of the Left”, “Radio Times”, “Politics in the Kafeneion Today”, “The Kafeneion Popular Culture and Vernacular Aesthetic”, “Kafeneion and the Making of Community” among others. Philippou is as good an essayist and researcher as he is a photographer evident in the 63 photographs that accompany his research. The following quotation provides only an essence of what the book is about:

“The collection of photographs that follows focuses on coffee-shop interiors and in particular the arrangements of objects in the coffee house spaces and on their walls; their semiotic value highlighted as they are presented to make reference to the identity of the communities that use these spaces. These tableaux are presented here as components of ‘portraits’ of particular and idiosyncratic communities in the absence of the individuals that make them up. Modernity and its manifestations, whether in the form of utilitatian or cultural artefacts- domestic appliances, electric wires, nude posters, political paraphernalia, plastic chairs and the like- are masterfully brushed out of these photographs. this rather ‘institutionalized’ mode of representation comes with its own aesthetic characterized by romanticism, nostalgia and visual formalism. Also it reduces kafeneia into signs of Cypriotness and invites us to somehow derive all Cyprus from such reductive and parochial representations.”*

Notes: 

1*. Peter Loizos (2007) in “Coffee-house Embellishments”, 2007, Nicosia University Press, Nicosia, p. 13.

2*. Thomson, John, (1985), “Through Cyprus With the Camera in the Autumn of 1878″, in “Coffee-House Embellishments”, 2007, Nicosia University Press, Nicosia, p. 16

3*. Philippou, Nicos, (2007), ”Coffee-House Embellishments”, 2007, Nicosia University Press, Nicosia, p. 37.

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