INTERVIEW, WINNER OF THE LARNACA BIENNALE 2018
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Who is artist Alexandros Yiorkadjis. Share with us a few things about you and your work in general.
Who is Alexandros Yiorkadjis, or most specific what am I as an entity and what is really happening on this planet? Why do I believe the things that I believe, do I really want the things that I want? Where do my goals come from? What is my true essence, what is the right thing to do. What do I really want from the depths of my soul and what is my responsibility?
I would really love that all humans on earth get out of their bodies and look at this amazing planet from out of space. And that we absorb simultaneously all the beauty and knowledge from all the cultures, the shamans, the mystics, the researchers, the healers, the visionaries. And then we see ourselves being born again, coming out of the womb in what we call our reality and acknowledge ourselves as the progress of humanity on this planet.
This is the theme of my life and the theme of my work. So, what I started as a search of “who am I and what is really happening here”, became a healing process. And because I am a human being the research on my self became a research on humanity and reality.
Now, art is a way of expression, a communication system, a code, a language.
I try to be true and sincere. The creating process is bringing a theme or a state of being in existence, and doing so, is also the permission of the viewer to process the subject, to bring the subconscious in consciousness, the dark into the light in order to heel and move on, or simply observe. Becoming conscious of the evolutionary process and what we are bringing in existence.
What was your reaction when you heard that you were awarded?
When I realized that I was awarded it made me smile, it gave me a feeling of appreciation and a sense of acknowledgement of my work.
Tell us a few words about your awarded work.
From 2006 I started this project “From Homo Sapiens to Homo Luminus”, which I am actually still working on . It consists of sculptures and installations on difference subjects on human existence. From basic emotions to the multi-dimensional nature of the human being.
The sculpture “Reflection” (that I presented for this Biennale) was the sequence of the sculpture “Documento” that was part of the presentation of my thesis together with a book of 263 pages with documented information about humanity on this planet. “Documento” is the expression of the basics of emotions, from fear and anger to expansion and gratitude. “Reflection” is more an invitation to look inside and at the same time, to see the being in the context that it is immerged, physical or conseptual.
The title “Reflection” refers to the quality of the mirror to reflect images and also the ability of the brain to reflect thought. This sculpture installation consists of a human figure, presented naked to symbolize the absence of superficial projections of identities. It is standing on a mirror that reflects the surrounding and the mirror it is supported on human brains, symbol of the collective understanding regarding the environment but also the human being. The relationship with the self and the collective.
I started this sculpture in 2010 and I managed to materialize it in 2018. When I saw the theme of the Biennale of Larnaca, I was more than happy to apply.
What is your impression about this first Biennial in Cyprus.
I really want to congratulate the ideators and creators of this Biennale. It is a historical event, a creation of a platform where we get to see a broad spectrum of the artistic expressions in Cyprus and the invitation of artists from abroad. Biennale brings people together and creates the condition where art is being valued. A promotion of culture and education. It is a great achievement that enriches Cyprus.
A message you would like to send to artists that will apply in the future for participation in Larnaca Biennale.
The message is : “ Remember to enjoy the process”.
