Christina Tsantekidou
My practice explores how we relate to and internalise the geo-political shifts that occur within our lifetimes and those we carry with us from past generations.The socially and politically charged subjects employ a wide range of mediums to address global issues surrounding immigration and cultural identity .I use biographical stories as a vehicle for navigating through political history and collective memory. I explore the nature of our existence, where reflections on circumstances of the past bring an awareness of the present. In many works, I explore historical narratives of which little may be known or where facts are opaque, misconstrued, or disputed. As these stories can frequently be lost to time, giving voice to the often-unheard protagonists, and sheds light on accepted truths and denied positions present in these particular conditions. Whether autobiographical, collected from firsthand accounts, or originating through research, my works find continuity between these diverse themes and subjects, allowing for the consideration of our complex, intertwined histories.
Born in 1987 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and grew up in Thessaloniki, Greece. Living and working in Berlin and Greece.
My practice explores how we relate to and internalise the geo-political shifts that occur within our lifetimes and those we carry with us from past generations.The socially and politically charged subjects employ a wide range of mediums to address global issues surrounding immigration and cultural identity .I use biographical stories as a vehicle for navigating through political history and collective memory. I explore the nature of our existence, where reflections on circumstances of the past bring an awareness of the present. In many works, I explore historical narratives of which little may be known or where facts are opaque, misconstrued, or disputed. As these stories can frequently be lost to time, giving voice to the often-unheard protagonists, and sheds light on accepted truths and denied positions present in these particular conditions. Whether autobiographical, collected from firsthand accounts, or originating through research, my works find continuity between these diverse themes and subjects, allowing for the consideration of our complex, intertwined histories.
Born in 1987 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and grew up in Thessaloniki, Greece. Living and working in Berlin and Greece.
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“Be Prepared to Go Home”, 2019 Video, single channel, dialog Duration 3 minutes- Loop Please contact me if you would like to watch the video. In the work “Be Prepared to Go Home”, I have chosen to reinterpret a scene from the move Zorba the Greek, a film released in 1964. In this scene, a dance called Sirtaki is performed, with dialogue referring to both personal and general notions of integration. Through my interpretation, this struggle plays out time and again in a looping sequence, suggesting an ongoing desire to reconnect to a history that may no longer exist as thought, and where the protagonist is nevertheless determined to continue his battle. The question and meaning then become focused not only on the political and social turmoil contained within, but the deeply personal feelings of being an unwanted outsider, an eternal foreigner in a place you can never truly call your own. |
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