Installation View:

 

 

 

It is always my intention when curating a group exhibition to achieve in the final result a dialogue between the original concept and its interpretation by the participating artists. In the exhibition Coffins of Black, Coffins of Luck, inspired by the ambiguous signification of chimney sweepers as both a harsh occupation and a symbol of good luck, Dimitris Foutris presented a video installation titled Liquid Ash, articulating in his own way the contradictory elements of good and evil, beautiful and ugly, sensitive and cruel, optimistic and pessimistic, which are present in almost every aspect of our lives. A column of cement blocks upholds the glass panels which serve -together with a large piece of paper- as the screen on which the video is projected. With an elementary visualization of a chimney being evident from the overall installation, Foutris illustrates the theoretical concept through the different nature and texture of his materials. The rough, sturdy cement blocks come in contradiction with the glossy surface of the fragile glass, while the handmade paper transfuses its unpolished texture to the video projection. The moving image resembles an abstract Rorschach test which spreads in an uncontrollable manner, since the medium used is an “ink” made by ash turned into liquid, suggesting the wastage turned into creation after all. Foutris, devoted to his artistic means, transmits through his artwork his personal aspect of the idea behind the exhibition, contributing to the general concern the show attempts to parley.

 

Galini Lazani