Flags are an important component of the exhibition Statecraft (and beyond). They are the image most of us will recognize even without knowing or having ever visiting the country they represent. Flags aim to allude to the values and history of countries/states through their colours and designs. With over 195 flags representing all the countries of the world, few of us can recognise every single one. Flags, which are symbols that aim to reinforce the national identity of a state, simultaneously are able to unite as well as divide, thus constituting objects of worship and hate.
Artists Navine G. Dossos and Nektarios Pappas will lead a creative workshop titled “Fictional Flags for Ideal States” within the framework of the exhibition Statecraft (and beyond) at the National Museum of Contemporary Art | ΕΜΣΤ.
Through the use of collage and screen printing, the workshop will look at the symbolic meanings and designs of flags, spurring participants to think about creating flags of their own personal fictional countries and states – expressing their values, geography and the people who inhabit them. The workshop will, among other things, look into the most popular colours and what they mean, and explore some of the most common shapes and geometrical forms, bringing together new combinations that are playful and political, with an emphasis on climate and ecology in particular.
Image of the artwork: Navine G. Dossos, No Such Organisation, 2018-2020, Photograph: Anna Primou
PARTICIPATION
The workshop is aimed towards teenagers aged 16 and over, as well as adults.
It will take place on Saturday 5th November, 2022 between 11:30-15:00 at EMST.
Participation is free of charge. Book your place at learning@emst.gr mentioning your name, age, telephone number and the workshop’s title. The maximum number of participants is 15.
Please, note that the workshop will be held in both English and in Greek.
UPDATE (31.10.2022): Attention please. The workshop is fully booked.
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Navine G. Dossos is a visual artist and her interests include geometry as information and decoration, image calibration, and Aniconism in contemporary culture. She has developed a form of geometric abstraction that merges the traditional Aniconism of Islamic art with the algorithmic nature of the interconnected world we live in.
Nektarios Pappas is an artist and Phd candidate in Athens School of Fine Arts.
He uses mostly screen printing as well sound, radio, performance, and sculpture as his mediums of artistic expression. He often likes to create situations based on past stories and current politics to push the public to reimagine and rigorously question contemporary reality.
They are both members of Vessel, a multi-disciplinary arts studio and events space on the island of Aegina, in the Saronic Gulf, Greece.
