ICE BOX, Athens, 1995
For this exhibition I have studied Modern Greek and produced an exhibition around this idea.
Studying languages is part of my art practice since 1992. Modern Greek was the third language for this art approach after Japanese and Russian. Greek studies were the "German Orient". Greek "Guest workers" in Germany in the post war period discriminated partially because they spoke greek, whereas in high school and at university, classical greek still was considered the non plus ultra of knowledge, a kind of elitist exclusive Bildung. The connection between Orientalist studies and imperialist poltics is also obvious in the politics of Greece: in the early 19th century, the brother of Bavarian's romantic king Ludwig became the kinf of Greece, a royal dynasty that still is repsected to these days. Greek studies and german nation building went hand in hand. more about language lerning see texts: (index page)
for this exhibition I made the major work entitled:
3 months, 3 days a week, 3 hours a day - basic modern greek. (video tapes) 1994/95, 120 hr video tapes
in greece:
5 days, 5 hours a day - basic modern greek (video tapes) - 1995 - 20 hr video tapes
(for the first time, I have recorded my own study process, something that has become important since: basci korean, basic chinese, basic arabic )
also, a series of photographs, entitled: please, teach me modern greek - portraits of people wearing all the same t-shirt with the greek text for "please, teach me modern greek")
ICE BOX, installation view, 1995
3 months, 3 days a week, 3 hours a day - basic modern greek. (video tapes) 1994/95, 120 hr video tapes
5 days, 5 hours a day - basic modern greek (video tapes) - 1995 - 20 hr video tapes
Please, teach me Modern Greek, (10 photographs, black and white)
3 months, 3 days a week, 3 hours a day - basic modern greek. (video tapes) 1994/95, 120 hr video tapes
5 days, 5 hours a day - basic modern greek (video tapes) - 1995 - 20 hr video tapes
Studying Basic Modern Greenk, 1995
20 x 24 inches, 50 x 60 cm, (color photograph) - shows me studying
Studying Modern Green, Study Sheet, 1994
work on paper
file, basic modern greek
(photopaper, 150 x 120 cm , 1994)
files - is a flexible, multifacetted vehicle I have been using for many years to conceptualize work...
Please, teach me Turkish; ... Tagalog, ... Greek, .... German, ....Albanian)
(t-shirts, with languages that are in a relaxed or stressed relationship with Greece - it wasn't well received that I include "please, teach me Turkish, a neighbor state)