To read the original Greek interview click here.
Pavlina Vagioni: «Paper, metal, wood, have physical limits that you cannot exceed. The digital material, however, has none.»
The multimedia visual artist is taking part in the group sculpture exhibition of the Byzantine and Chrisitan museum, and her enthusiasm cannot be concealed.
Pavlina Vagioni is a promising multimedia artist and classical singer. Free-spirited in body and mind, she splits her life and career between Athens and Houston, proving that in Life and Art, everything is possible when there is a will.
On the occasion of her participation in the group sculpture exhibition of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece in the Byzantine and Christian Museum, she talks to athinorama.gr about the emotions she is experiencing, the exhibits she shares with the public, her trajectory until today and her plans for tomorrow. Enjoy the interview and get a taste before you visit the exhibition, which will be open to the public up until 17 October.
What are your feelings about the group sculpture exhibition of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece? What will we see in the show?
I am very excited to participate, and I thank the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece and the Selection Committee for selecting my work. The viewer will see 94 sculptures of fellow artists displayed in the courtyard of the Duchess’ Mansion.
How was it for you to see the public’s reactions to your work in real-time and space once again?
Every time a work leaves the studio and goes into the public space, it is great for me, and I believe for every artist because the artwork does not exist without the viewer. Therefore, only when it is exhibited do I feel the purpose of the work to be complete.
You declare yourself an “artist in between Athens and Houston, polyglot and with a Greek temperament”. How do you define Greek temperament? Do you utilize it in your work?
I associate it with words like aliveness, irascibility and passion. I believe I utilize my Greek temperament both consciously and subconsciously. My personality is always found within my work.
Your bases are in Athens and Houston. What can the alternation between such diverse locations and ways of living offer to a creator, in daily life and her Art?
The locations may be different geographically and culturally, but Texans are similar to Greeks. They are open-hearted, hospitable, direct and untamable. Generally, alternation enriches an artist’s work by expanding the boundaries of experiences and impressions from which they draw ideas.
What were the grounds that led you to your involvement with Art for you? Talk to us about your studies in this area.
I would use the word “grounds” only as far as my formal involvement with Art is concerned. When somebody has an artistic nature, Art seeps into every aspect of their life, whether they are aware of it or not.
My first degree was from the London School of Economics. I did not utilize my Greek temperament to go against my family’s wishes and follow my nature back then. However, the “seed” of Art was always within me. There came a moment where I accepted it and allowed it to blossom. And it is beautiful to become a student at an older age. When you are younger, you may not value what is given for free, even with quality professors. The Athens School of Fine Arts is a school of international prestige, and many talented artists come out of it.
You are a visual artist, but you also have studies on singing. Do you plan to bridge the various forms of Art in the same project that you involve yourself with?
Yes, of course. Besides, the topic of the Sirens, with which I’m working currently, is associated with singing. I have incorporated music into previous works. For example, my thesis exhibition at the ASFA in 2016 was a multimedia installation whose most significant part was sound.
As a multimedia artist, do you believe Athens to be a hospitable city for new art forms like multimedia art and installation art?
Yes, I believe it. Many art projects are being supported either by private or public carriers. When a project is interesting, every city will want to accommodate it.
You use new technologies in your work. How do you experience the digital way of creating? How do you feel about the tendency of communicating our work continuously through social media?
The digital way of creating is very cerebral and not physical at all. You are in front of a computer screen, and you function with your mind and your imagination, but the body does not participate. Yet people are also a body. Therefore, something is lost through the digital process. The compensation for this loss is the liberation from the confines of the material. Paper, metal, wood etc., have physical limits that you cannot exceed. The digital material, however, has none.
As far as social media are concerned, I would say the phrase that matches them is “every cloud has a silver lining”. On the one hand, you lose physical touch with people but simultaneously communicate with others from all latitudes and longitudes of the earth.
The works you create have ancient Greek myths and Homeric epic poems as a starting point. Talk to us about the co-existence between the ancient Greek (or old) and contemporary civilization.
The notion of chronicity does not apply to myths. We may live in the 21st century, but they still concern us. This is because they are cyphers, which contain archetypes, mysteries, and timeless meanings. I currently read a book by Carl Jung on synchronicity. Inside, he maintains that archetypes are, in essence, patterns of behavior and are associated with subconscious processes of the psyche. There is an excellent bibliography on the symbolism of the myths and their universality. Therefore, myths are not just beautiful stories. Particularly in contemporary Art, myths are valuable because contemporary Art does not rely on the mere representation of a story but analyses and makes the viewer contemplate. And this is the essence of myths. Their meaning lies beyond them, and someone must search for it to be revealed to them.
What has been so far the most significant confirmation that Art was the thing to which you had to devote yourself professionally?
Confirmation has no size. It comes daily, simply and humbly, when I immerse myself within the works.
What are your goals on a personal and professional level?
At the personal and professional levels, I pursue one thing: Connection.
Stay informed on the activities of Pavlina Vagioni through her accounts on Instagram as well as her official website.
The exhibition will be hosted at the Byzantine and Christian Museum until 17 October | Mon-Sun 8 pm-8 pm, Τue 1-8 pm | Free entrance
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