Νίκη Σπάρταλη

PARTICIPATION IN A GROUP EXHIBITION

Enclosures

Participation in the group exhibition “15 + 1” with the group “Almas”.

The exhibition took place at the St. George Bastion in the Medieval Town of Rhodes.

Have you ever wondered what the person standing opposite you feels? Make him a friend, a close relative, a business customer, or a complete stranger?

Do you believe they express their true feelings to you, being truly honest when asking them a question?
Well, I find that most people don’t. Myself included.

Communication has always been my toughest card to play. And my most important. Although I am always honest with people, most of the time I omit to disclose my true problems. I usually enclose them in me for no one to see.

Negative feelings or even positive ones take a rain check and bubble inside me. Why? Make it manners (“you can’t show you are bored!!”), shyness of exposure or just plain indifference I remain enclosed. Others around me do the same. I can feel they do.

Taking examples from life I tried to make these enclosed feelings a picture. Each feeling/situation gets to breathe and be real in the frame just like if the person having them was expressing his true self in real life.

- My Participation -


- The project was showcased as an installation -

Human relations (friendly, erotic, professional) are based on communication: verbal, visual or physical. The closer two people are, the greater their need for proper and sincere communication, regarding all occurring to them, their feelings, their thoughts.

However, many times people do not externalize their feelings. Too much is kept locked in, “threatening” casual communication with their fellow man. Reasons resulting to emotions suppressed vary:
– There is guilt or remorse for something that happened that – if spoken of- will ruin trust, within the relationship
– There are angering situations, not externalized, so to avoid conflict
– In additional cases, lies the fear of contempt and mockery by the other, for something that occurred.
In this installation, 24 emotions/situations enclosed by people, preventing communication with their fellow man, are presented. 24 emotions, as many as the hours in a day, interchanging and repeating, in the circle of life. Wooden boxes were utilized for each photo, aiming to visualize the “internalization” of each emotion. Prominent symbols in each photo as books, pigeons, clouds, newspapers, offer their own explanation, for the feeling depicted. The purpose of the artist is to originate the spectator’s need to think and “feel” within him all emotion hiding. Finally, the entire installation is located in a dark area, in order to emphasize that whatever is hidden inside a person, remains alive and bright, yet becoming obsession, undermining human relationships.

It is of primordial importance for people to realize that the most significant goal in life is to achieve proper and healthy communication with the fellow man, along with addressing the will for co-operation, equality, respect, trust. Here, lies the sole path for evolution.

- Highlights from the opening -


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