ID 10008995 © documenta Archiv / Carl Eberth
Drawing on the tumultuous date 1968 and documenta 4 from the same year, artist Mary Zygouri and art historian Irene Gerogianni discuss the work of Maria Karavela (1938–2012)—a leading figure in Greek performance art known for her politically charged (re)presentations of history—and the contemporary reworking of one of her most complex pieces by Zygouri.
Performance art as well as an acknowledgement of the social movements that were gaining dynamic presence around the world were largely absent from documenta 4. Contemporary with—but largely detached from—the student revolts and other social upheavals, the exhibition was marked by internal crisis, with several founding members leaving the institution.
In a performative lecture held at a public school in the area of Nikaia, Gerogianni and Zygouri unfold the narratives created around Kokkinia 1979, Karavela’s emblematic project, which dealt with the history of the Greek Resistance and the Greek Civil War. The two speakers aim to detract from the absences within documenta 4 in order to highlight Karavela’s forceful presence within activist art practices of the time, as well as elucidate, through Zygouri’s own project The Round Up (2017), the political connotations of her work in relation to contemporary Greece and the present context of crisis.
The speakers are introduced by Marina Fokidis, Curatorial Advisor of documenta 14.
This event will be held in Greek. Please note that there will be no translation.
In collaboration with the Municipality of Nikaia—Ag. Ioannis Rentis.
Irene Gerogianni is an art historian and museologist. She is a PhD candidate at the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she is researching the first wave of performance art in Greece. She co-edited the book Maria Karavela (together with Christopher Marinos and Bia Papadopoulou, 2015). Gerogianni lives and works in Athens.
Artist Mary Zygouri employs various methodologies, always using performance as her fixed point of reference. Her actions, organized meticulously and thoroughly prepared, usually unfold in public spaces, provoking unpredictable outcomes and the viewers’ critical participation. Throughout the last decade, she has performed across Europe and for institutions such as the Dutch Art Institute, the Istanbul Foundation for Culture (IKSV), and the Cittadellarte–Fondazione Pistoletto. Zygouri lives and works between Greece and Italy.
