The Flow of Life, Stella Bakatsi

My previous post on Attilio - which included photographs of some of Stella Bakatsi's work, (who was featured in this blog on February 14, 2011) - reminded me of the first exhibition of her work I went to. I looked up photographs I had taken at the time and  decided to do a post on that exhibition even though it was in 2007, as she is my favourite Greek ceramicist, and the exhibition was stunning. Is this cheating? I don't know, but I really wanted to revisit that exhibition and have a record of it.

The exhibition was called 'Roes', 'The Flow of Life', and was staged in 2007 in Red Gallery, Takis Street, Psirri, Athens.

Bakatsi's inspired abstract forms were extraordinarily dramatic and huge in size. Four of the sculptures were vertical, cascading down from above. Some were horizontal as if on a slab or examination table. Most of these sculptural works were composed of serial, bead-like elements: is it to suggest prayer beads, or are they suggesting molecular, microscopic cells (something that is of great interest to Bakatsi)? While entirely abstract, her sculptures evoke narrative-like qualities.

This is what Bakatsi says about this work: "When I started shaping with my hands the small spherical pieces of clay, I felt as if, by this repeated movement, I were counting my moments, as if I were counting life itself. It was something like a purification, an exorcism. I was led deep down into the paths of self consciousness, to insights into the nature of human existence: Body and Mind - Outside and Inside."

The vertical sculptures

"At first I made four works focusing on a part of life, from 'Youth' up to 'Ultimate Moment'. I had to give form to my thoughts and the materials I used were clay and thread. I named the clay Body and the thread Spirit"

 

Nioti, Youth, (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 1997,  height 240 cm

"In Youth, where the beauty of the body is at its height, I used a lot of colour, hiding in its interior the spiritual part".

looking closer

 

Orimotita, Maturity, (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 1998, height 240 cm

"In Maturity, the 'outside' - the Body - has little colour as its beauty is starting to fade away, whereas the 'inside' - the spiritual part - is rendered with vivid colour to signify the flow of energy".

 

looking closer

 

Sto Metaihmio, At the Turning Point, (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 1999, height 240cm

"At the Turning Point the body has obviously deteriorated, leaving more space for the mind to dominate."

looking closer

 

Metavasi, The Ultimate Moment, (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 2000, height 240cm

"The Ultimate Moment is just what the title implies, the moment between life and death".

 

"I exhibited these four works in 2000 under the general title 'The Flow of Life'. At that moment, I believed that I had relieved myself of a great burden".



looking closer

The horizontal forms

"But before long there I was again, making the same unconscious repeated movements with my hands. So, I continued with..."

Tafi, Burial, (stoneware clay, waxed thread), 2001,  floor installation, 290cmx170cm

looking closer

Apodomisi, Disintegration (stoneware clay, waxed thread), 2001, floor installation, 370x150cm

looking closer

Emvryo, Embryos, (Stoneware clay, waxed thread), 2004, 180x97cm

Yennisi, Birth, (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 2003, floor installation, 240x120cm

"... in the endless circle of life".

looking closer

Mystikoi Codikes (pros exetasi), Secret Codes (to be examined), (stoneware clay, waxed thread, wire), 2002, 250x120cm

looking closer

Mesa Apo to Fako, Through the Lens, (stoneware clay, wire, glass), 2002, 77x59cm

Domi Proteinikon Morion, Protein Molecule Structure, (stoneware clay, waxed thread), 2006, 90x170cm

"In the end, with the last three works, I was led to the very beginning of life, the cell, the molecule, the amazing world of Genetics. This subject still fascinates me and, with my new work, I'm  continuing to search into this amazing microcosm!"

A portrait of the artist.

Stella Bakatsi

We went to the Stella Bakatsi exhibition two weeks ago and I have been postponing writing about it as I felt that my photographs would not do it justice, but there is no sense in putting it off any longer... Bakatsi is a ceramicist who has moved away from making vessels to making small identical pieces which she then uses to stage huge installations. The exhibition I saw a few years ago was stunning, and I have been following her development ever since.

This exhibition was staged at the old observatory and the mobile of rocks and crystalls at the entrance is interesting and fun.



The main, domed observatory room  is where the exhibition is housed, and the first thing you see is this huge installaion on the floor of thousands of used  microbiological slides. She says she has always been interested in the world of Genetics and its constant revelations, in the cell, in the molecule...

And a closer look

The rest of the exhibition is all  around the room and consists of huge panels made of wire where small, mostly identical ceramic pieces are attached. It is difficult to describe the effect, sometimes when looking from a distance they look like abstract paintings, but most of the time, they just  look  like themselves and I cannot define them...

A close look

An intricate pattern



and a closer look

I love the wavy effect of this one, seen partly from the side





These reminded me of swimming sperm



An overview

Floating sperm again, in a different pattern



Very tightly packed



So many different shapes and patterns  she has used...

A lot of wire on this one

Another partial side view



A bit of colour



Spikey



Attilio - ceramics

Some nice pieces in Attilio.

Giorgos Pondikis:

Liana Papalixi:

Demosthenes Kokalis and Konstantina Parda:

Stella Bakatsi:

Bakatsi's work is stunning, she's an inspired artist. Unfortunately she has stopped working now, so seeing work of hers is rare. as there are very few pieces for sale.  You can see more of her work here and here

Vaggelis Polyzos: