art – Escape Karma

Nedal Al Taoba,an outstanding collage artist who redifines activism on Instagram

Collage made by Nedal Al Taoba Touches on the monstrous contradictions of our societies

First of all,I would like to thank Nedal,for the photos he sent me and his contribution on Escape Karma magazine.Let me introduce you his story and his work.Nedal Al Taoba is a 27year-old Palestinian who grew up in Syria after his family presecution for their homeland.As a young person who felt the need of freedom and justice,he has been involved with activism from his early years,in a demonstration in Syria he got shot and afterwards moved to Beirut,Lebanon.Once again there as a Palestinian he experienced restrictions and deprivation of human rights.His next station was Greece for a small period of time where he experienced asylum.Currently he lives in Germany with his wife.

Nedal Al Taoba a collage inspired by the Beirut explosion on August 4th 2020

Although Nedal lives in Europe now,he never forgets the Arabic world and the countries of middle East,he is well aware of the wars,the massacres and the unrests there.After the explosion in Beirut,a city where he lived for a while,he combined photos captured by some of his friends and photographers that display smoke after bomb explosions in the middle East in order to accomplish his collage which caused global sensation.

A Nedal Al Taoba collage inspired by the racial and justice and the killing of George Floyd

Through his collage art Nedal,doesn’t only referes to the problems of the Arabic world,but his activism expands worldwide,on racial,environmental,humanitarian,social and political issues.What impress me about him is the way he manages his personal experience and difficulties he faced so far and as a result he transforms them into awaking and so touching art.

Nedal Al Taoba collage art,photo captured after the large fire in Moria refugee camp in Greece,September 9,2020

Is there a time for kohl and lipstick
A time for curling hair
Is there a time for high street shopping
To find the right dress to wear
Miss Sarajevo,

Nedal Al Taoba collage,a Syrian refugee holds his daughter as he waits to cross into Turkey,June 15,2015

Some of his works feel like a punch on the face.They are so meaningful and powerful that is almost impossible not to touch you or make you feel anger and disgust about the impassiveness and the indifference on the pain and the struggle of less favoured fellow human beings.To this point we once again be capable of realizing the meaning and the mission of art,its use is not restricted to delight us but also to inspire,to awaken,to trigger feelings,to force us to turn to our inner world,to move us,to lead us think and question.And Nedal’s art has the ability and the power to make all of the things that I mentioned.

Nedal Al Taoba ,mix of his collages

“Is there a time for tying ribbons
A time for Christmas trees
Is there a time for laying tables
And the night is set to freeze”
Miss Sarajevo,U2

Nedal Al Taoba ‘s Christmas Tree collage

Miss Sarajevo,U2 and Luciano Pavarotti

“Is there a time for first communion
A time for East Seventeen
Is there a time to turn to Mecca
Is there time to be a beauty queen”

Miss Sarajevo,U2

Nedal Al Taoba’s collage art

Through his oeuvre we are able to spot that he is not only focused on the middle East and the bombings,but his awareness affected by environmetal and global issues and to go beyond he also made collages inspired by the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and the discussion around the vaccines.

Last but not least,Nedal is not only an activist on Instagram and the rest of social media but in real life too.Let’s get political,philosophical,humanitarian volunteers,let’s act on global issues that affect us all.

Thank you for taking the time to read.He left me speechless with the first collage I saw on Instagram and felt the need to contact him to congratulate him on his work and ask him to contribute on my magazine.We had a discussion over his art and the issues we face as a modern society.He is kind,smart and willing to help you without even knowing you.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nedal Al Taoba – نضال التوبة (@nedal_altaoba)

From Nedal’s Instagram account

You can Follow Nedal on Instagram and Facebook.

Eleni Kadigkou Xx

20 January 202121 January 2021

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“The color of phenomenon” , how Greek artist George Stamatakis ‘traveled’ the underwater landscape of Ionian sea to Japan and its association with an environmental issue

‘The Color of Phenomenon’ an exhibition of visual artist-painter George Stamatakis,held at the Sumida Hokusai Museum of Japan form 18th of December until the 26th of it.Since we weren’t able to visit it physically let’s dive into George Stamatakis’ artworld.Before I introduce him to you I would like to thank him for the original photos , the texts and all the details he provided me with.He has been a long time on my periscope,because of his association with Japan,a country that I adore for its culture from ukiyo-e art and manga to its architecture and ikebana (art of flower arrangement) till the tea ceremony,the futuristic vision and of course the Japanese cuisine.

George Stamatakis was born in Heraklion, Crete in 1979 and he graduated from the Painting department of Athens School of Fine Arts at D’ Panos Charalambous Lab in 2019, on his art studies including International Exchange program at Tokyo University of the Arts on Shinji Ohmaki sculpture Lab in 2018 and 2019 with Scholarship by Jasso Organization.Stamatakis also has a degree of Economics (Marketing) from the University of West Attica and a degree in Journalism and Media.The stark landscapes of his Mediterranean homeland are a recurring image in his work.His portfolio includes solo and group exhibitions in Greece such as his participation at ‘Documenta 14’ and his second solo show presented by the Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center in the Art-Thessaloniki art fair in 2018(I visited it but I didn’t know him back then) but also worldwide from London to Paris and from US to his “second” homeland Japan,one to mention is his solo show at K Gallery,Ginza,Tokyo. You can learn more about him here .Let’s have a closer look to ‘The Color of Phenomenon’ .

“Blue, blue, electric blue
That’s the colour of my room
Where I will live
Blue, blue”
David Bowie,Sound and Vision

David Bowie,Sound and Vision (Spotify)

According to recent scientific research,the sea will turn darker blue due to the effects of global warming.They estimate that this change will happen the next 100 years.Based on this scientific profechy,George Stamatakis who took the impressive number of 6000 photos of the underwater landscape of the Ionian sea,ended up to 62 who found the most suitable for his art installation.Then the images transferred to silk at a printing workshop in Alexandropoli,(Soufli renowned for its finest silk production) and dyed with indigo(blue colour) from Tokushima,which was airlifted from Japan.The exhibition was scheduled for June 2020 in the context of Olympic Games in Tokyo but postponed due to the pandemic and finally re-scheduled for December were displayed from 18th until 26th as part of the Tokyo Tokyo Festival.

"Oh God you spend so much blue so that we cannot see you", Odysseas Elytis, Nobel Prize in Literature (1979

George during the process

The event was organized by UPN, Ltd., and the project was awarded a grant by the Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. It is endorsed by the Greek Embassy in Japan and is a cooperative netowork project of The Sumida River Sumi-Yume Art Project in Sumida Ward, where the traditional indigo dyeing workshop from the Edo period still exists.

In conversation with the artist’s work, short performances by Yukari Sakata (director), Takako Abe (actor), Yasuo Yamato and Kyojun Tanaka (musicians) were also presented.

“Now there’s a blue, blue, strange colour blue
Let me dream of me and you”
Madrugada, Strange Colour Blue

George ,who obtained a stay visa with deregulation in October,found his self back to Japan in order to complete and announce the new installation “The Color of Phenomenon”.Beside the artistic dimension of the project and the fact that the astonishing and captivating blue colour of the underwater of the Ionian sea travelled to Japan in a such unique way, I would like to point the importance of the environmental issue it conveys.As Stamatakis stated “At first I present the work with a romantic predisposition, but in reality this conceals a very cruel comment.”

“In the deepest ocean
The bottom of the sea
Your eyes
They turn me
Why should I stay here?
Why should I stay?
I’d be crazy not to follow
Follow where you lead”
Radiohead, Weird Fishes

Underwater photos by George Stamatakis , installation photos by Yozo Takada

“You have a taste of tempest on your lips—But where did you wander
All day long in the hard reverie of stone and sea?
An eagle-bearing wind stripped the hills
Stripped your longing to the bone”
MARINA OF THE ROCKS, Odysseus Elytis

George’s installation has the power and the ability to transmit you that feeling of carefree Greek summer,the calmness and the movement of the blue sea, the light of our country,the hidden underwater world and bring you the poet of the Aegean sea(though) Odysseus Elytis and his blue and sea inspired poems to mind but at the same time it arises huge environmental issues our world is facing, such as the global warming and the seawater pollution.

Along with the exhibition ,in the same space, a video documentary (Director: Zoe Manta) of the production process was presented, as well as a text by Denys Zacharopoulos.

George Stamatakis during the process documented by Zoe Manta

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read and look at George’s artworks .My sincere appreciation to George Stamatakis ,with whom I share the same love for Japanese aesthetics, and thankful for trusting me to present him.

For more check George Stamatakis here and follow him on Instagram here .

Arigato ありがと!

Eleni Kadigkou Xx

4 January 20214 January 2021

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Jenny Saville’s exhibiton “Elpis” at Gagosian draws inspiration from Greek mythology , look how we reply

Captured and painted on the left by Panagiotis Kadigkos

On the right JENNY SAVILLE Prism, 2020
Pastel on linen 78 3/4 x 63 in
200 x 160 cm
**© Jenny Saville**
**Photo: Prudence Cuming**
**Courtesy Gagosian**

Only Elpis [Hope] was left within her unbreakable house,
she remained under the lip of the jar, and did not
fly away. Before [she could], Pandora replaced the
lid of the jar. This was the will of aegis-bearing
Zeus the Cloudgatherer.
—Hesiod, Works and Days

Gagosian’s New York gallery reopened on November 12th 2020 after the pandemic-related shutdown in March displaying a not at all incidental exhibition but an extremely relevant .Jenny Saville’s exhibition titled “Elpis” stands for Hope in Greek and finds its roots at the ancient Greek poet Hesiod and its poem Work and days related to the myth of Pandora .

JENNY SAVILLE
Elpis, installation view, 2020
**© Jenny Saville**
**Photo: Rob McKeever**
**Courtesy Gagosian**

During her career the viewer has encountered clear references on Greek mythology . Her oeuvre draws inspiration from archaic Greek and classical sculptures , and how it couldn’t ? Jenny Saville is known for her large-scale painted depictions of nude bodies especially obese women whereas her radical techniques challenged the art world , and many times on her work we encounter the ambiguity of gender .

JENNY SAVILLE
Virtual, 2020
Oil on canvas
78 3/4 x 63 in
200 x 160 cm
**© Jenny Saville**
**Courtesy Gagosian**

Her contribution to the contemporary figurative painting is pivotal , such as Egon Schiele was in the early 20th century . Back on 2014 Kunsthaus Zurich presented an exhibition displaying artworks of both of them , it was a dialogue among two artists who pay homage to the human body , they have a unique way of depicting it but also self-portray themselves quite often . In that exhibition paintings were imbued with eroticism , distinctive characteristic of both of their paintings . Jenny has been asked in an interview about that matter and declared the following :”It has become more and more important, I would say. Instead of erotic in a sexual sense, I would say erotic in a life force or drive.”

On the left Reclining Woman ,Egon Schiele 1917 ,Leopold Museum On the right *Oxyrhynchus* (2012–14), Jenny Saville © ProLitteris, Zürich

But on “Elpis” Saville forget for a while the bodies and focusing on portraying faces . A visit to Moscow , had her fascinated by people’s faces there , with no hesitation she booked a studio there and worked with photographs of the models she found more appropriate for this project .The vivid colour palette and the brushstrokes , the childish-like depiction of the faces , the innocence and the hope are so evident on the eyes of her portraits . You can profoundly feel that optimism and the gaze on the bright future .

The first painting I saw from the exhibition was Second Nature , 2020 and it literally hit me and blew my mind . Along with my collaborator photographer who has also drawing and painting skills we addressed the project of depict Jenny Saville’s work .He painted my face , took pictures and edited them . The result may seems not so close to her artworks but we wanted to make an ode to her astonishing work and pay homage to that woman , who is a living legend.

Images and painting Panagiotis Kadigkos

The exhibition will remain open until 22nd of December at Gagosian Gallery 980 Madison Avenue
New York, ny 10075

Eleni Kadigkou Xx

18 December 202019 December 2020

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