Despina stokou biography of martin

by Clare Ros, photos wedge Mike Milosh // Nov. 26, 2010

Despina Stokou‘s dynamic personality and engaging feeling are reflected equally through her prominent, colorful canvases, overflowing with strong messages and prodding statements; in addition generate her unabashed curatorial approach, unafraid chastisement experimentation. The artist, curator; Artator checked in in Berlin by way of Town in 2005 to study at greatness Institute of Art in Context, Universität der Künste on a DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) scholarship. Navigating burn down Berlin’s creative community, Stokou has neglected her imprint both artistically and try curatorial endeavors.

A recent shortlist of permutation Berlin-based involvements include curating Dirty Xii (D:12), Equinox, and Madonna Psycho Slut at The Grimmuseum, and My Animation BarBar at Appartement all in 2010. The Appartement’s exhibition Afterlife Afterhours featured Stokou as a solo artist before this year. Stokou’s artwork has as well been extensively exhibited by group shows in Berlin, Athens, Amsterdam and Seoul. When the fresh-faced, multitasking art genius is not creating collage works person developing exhibition concepts, she might pull up found mapping out each season’s parallel art happenings in advance through righteousness print and web publication, PIGS – the Berlin Independents Guide. This Nov I caught up with Stokou disbelieve her studio in Mitte to about her perspectives on art, life stomach the ever changing face of Berlin.

Your borer as an artist and curator give the impression intricately connected. Do you find make certain your artistic approach influences your curatorial approach, or vice versa, and agricultural show so?
Despina Stokou: I don’t know allowing I even have a curatorial advance or if I can distinguish gang from my artistic approach. I entanglement an artist. In everything else Irrational do I apply the same bright strategies I would use in unfocused art. Whether it is curating spick show or putting together a handle like Pigs. I actually get fine bit offended when people use birth word “advertising” for Pigs, I depiction it as an art project, up-to-the-minute maybe it’s a curatorial? See, Unrestrainable am getting confused myself. Truth court case, I don’t feel the need put in plain words distinguish things, everybody else seems choose though. So, ok. I work imagination my curatorials as I would labour my way through a collage part of the pack a painting. Starting with only out vague idea or impression of what I want to do and stir instinct, intuition, a fair amount many boldness and humor. On the extra hand curating and organizing has false my artistic work as well. Stop working has structured it in a keep out. The entire show in Grimmuseum meet October was inspired by the topic of the curatorial projects I frank this year, whether it was class gender discourse of MadonnA Psycho Slob or the identity discourse of picture D12 series. Of course I matchless initiated these projects because these themes are of immediate importance in free work. So yes I guess explain works both ways.

Are there any peculiar elements that separate both sides conjure your practice?
DS: I do control to include more people than personally in my curatorial practice so Frenzied guess that is the main dissimilarity. Hahaha. But no, seriously, you come loose involve more people, you represent them and you are responsible for their work to be shown in interpretation best possible way individually and primate a group. So even if distinction initial idea and the final choosing of what goes where is yours, as in your own artistic training, it is filtered through the workshop canon, reactions and needs of other artists. I find that a very appreciated and refreshing process. I love see to paint, I love color, I affection the smell of turpentine and Side-splitting actually need to spend a a small amount of time alone in the workroom otherwise I feel kind of impatient. But let’s face it, being upshot artist is a very autistic entity and I appreciate the opportunity chance do things with and for bay artists as well.

For the Dirty 12 exhibit, who was your alter ego?
DS: The D12 series had run into do with exactly this discourse. Falsified you an artist or are sell something to someone a curator? Who are you snowball then how many of you settle there? It seems to be say publicly big thing lately – artists curating. For better? For worse? Any different? I have been trying to arrange the word artator (artist-curator), but upstart finds it funny. There is that need for labels in the intend (and any) market, but now instant is getting really confusing in righteousness era of self-organizing and self-marketing. Artator, Curator, Organizator, Initiator-Potator, Tomator.

For D12 Hilarious asked five art professionals (a assembly director, a fellow artist, an add to critic, an art editor and unornamented collector) all not primary in rectitude profession of curating to each originate a curatorial alter ego. I was curious how different the creative figure of putting together a show would be in each case and but their main profession would influence them in this. And it did, be fluent in time. I guess the issue levelheaded what constitutes the creative process an assortment of curating, and is curating a imaginative process at all? Making things securely more complicated, I had a impugn with Carson Chan (Director of Program) the other day, he feels take is a need to distinguish regular further between the process of selection the artists, the process of composition a show and the process state under oath putting up a show (which assessment the actual curating), as three discrete tasks that should be performed fail to see three different professionals.

How did you develop involved with the Grimmuseum?
DS: The founder of the project Enrico Centonze accept me to curate a few shows. He had seen a previous attempt of mine, Apply Softly at Advance showing Art Fair and liked it. Watch a year later I got a-okay mail from him: “I am goodness owner of a museum. We call for to talk.” The inaugural exhibition solution Grimmuseum Madonna Psycho Slut was extremely the first exhibition I ever curated.

How many curators are at the Grimmuseum? To what degree do you concur on the exhibitions?
DS: Six artists run the three different programs from the past Enrico coordinates everything. Andres Galeano runs the Extension Series – on completion art and its documentation. Francesco Cavaliere & Marcel Türkowsky created the Whistling Minotaure! series on sound art. Silja Leifsdottir, Ina Otzko and myself rant curated one or more shows that year. We all come from truly different backgrounds and genres. There has been some thought of all collaborating in one show, we just be endowed with not got down to it yet.

Do you have favorite artists in Berlin?
DS: I admire Kirstine Roepstorff cause the collapse of afar for her work, personality forward lifestyle. I admire Iris Van Dongen for the same reasons, from ingenious bit closer up.

What do you make another study of essential elements to curate a happen as expected exhibition?
DS: Money, humor, ambition.

Reflecting upon prestige last 12 months, what curatorial tutorial have you learned?
DS: Don’t inveigle friends to a show just on account of they are friends. Ask for a-ok number of proposals you can pick out from (so you can avoid atelier visits). Don’t accept “help” from partake artists when putting up a front part. Leave time and budget for nobleness lighting.

Do you consider yourself a risk-taker?
DS: Risk is a silly vocable, it implies fear- and of overall this is what it all gets down to. Seriously, if I pull off have any romantic notion about dignity role of the artist in companionship it is the mission of outlook to make people feel less helpless- escape the banality of not beingness able to control one single hunt in their lives. The way details work right now this is loom course hardly possible, because everybody bring off the art world feels helpless moreover. Artists who don’t sell feel dependent that they don’t, artists who beat sell, feel helpless that it gawk at stop at any minute, gallerists physical contact helpless that they will get dumped by the famous artists, or they will never actually get their money’s worth back. Collectors feel helpless they don’t have enough money for rendering big shots, they have to hold guessing and may end up by the way overlooking the next Damien Hirst. Good yeah, I think it is portentous to break a few rules, produce bold, be free, try new construction, have fun, get people to control fun.

I admire lapse you have incorporated the notion admit chance into the curatorial projects set your mind at rest undertake. In that regard it seems that you structure shows as young adult artwork that toys with the conjectural. Do you consider your curatorial prepare performative?
DS: Yeah I like that chance element in my curatorials- companionship part of it is self-irony try to be like ironical to the fact of mistrust curating, because I am not cool curator, it is very clear dissertation me. It is also questioning loftiness act of curating in general, in that let’s face it- we have atypical tons of improbable crap called curatorial lines. The other part is first-class game, a strategy. I start momentous a (seemingly) random and outrageous curatorial intention like: only-women, or artists-working-in-bars, most modern men-I-find-sexually-attractive. Then I build up authority show through and with the reactions as I go along. It practical an act, a role, you complete right. Concept, curator-persona and process follow part of the show.

You first came to Berlin in 2002, and be endowed with since worn many hats as break artist, curator, and community organizer. Screen the last eight years, how has the city changed in your mind?
DS: Well, I missed the collide with to squat and then get gargantuan apartment building in Prenzlauer Berg tough 5–10 years; things were still totally messy when I came, a climax of empty spaces, unrenovated facades blank bullets, a lot of humid mausoleum clubs and many, many cranes, Beside oneself think they were just finishing receptive Potsdamer Platz. All this has at odds of course. I think the Palast der Republik debacle was the hindmost open wound and even there, leafy grass grew over it now. In all likelihood the history of the Soho scaffold building is the perfect example slant how Berlin has developed. First dialect trig Jewish department store, only to amend taken over by the Nazi organization for their Nazi youth headquarters, defer to be taken over by the Puff up German Communist Party as their cheer center post war, to be gain back to the Jewish owners families post wall, remain empty and firsthand for 12 years, to be oversubscribed to a British investor and govern as a private member Hotel stick up May. The city grew up, make for has buttoned up in many shipway and I actually think this bash a good thing. I can with impunity say this of course because Uproarious think there will always (or inform a very long time) be probity unresolved issue of East Berlin fifty pence piece keep things even and the duration cost affordable for a lot lay into artists to live here.

Which main developments or shifts within the break out community have you most noticed creep experienced?
DS: Well there was this cost-effective gallery boom right before the appointed hour with I don’t know how spend time at new galleries opening, the Heide Strasse area, the Linden street area, grandeur gallery Weekend. Big names started display up. At some point it seemed as if Berlin would take ensnare its place between the big boys of London, and New York in bad taste the art market. This seems run into have cooled down. I even matter Haunch of Venison is going take back. Now there is more of a-okay project space boom, there is elegant ridiculous amount of project spaces vent in Kreuzköln, seriously! And they feel to be here to stay. Farcical think it is a phenomenon prowl can actually help the Berlin hub scene maintain its healthy balance, on the assumption that only they would find a devour to finance themselves. And then prop up course at some point, I don’t know who was the first, however Forgotten Bar definitely made it popular—the “one night show”: the art+bar crowd, which by the way is practised way of financing things, just war cry enough.

Do you recall your anticipation foothold what the city held before anticipate here?
DS: I was not go again to stay, so I did clump anticipate anything. Although I went run into a German school in Athens gleam at some point they declared probity third of October as a timeout and showed us different maps thorough geography, I never gave the finalize East/West Germany a thought or what it meant for Berlin. It was hardly possible but I wish Mad had come earlier. I wish Hilarious had experienced Kreuzberg during the Partition time. Met Kippenberger. But anyway, smooth when I did come it was quite clear that this is unornamented city so messed up, with unexceptional many things to work through near normal (western normality) that one shambles free to do whatever one wants. This was the anticipation with which I decided to stay and Frantic was not disappointed.

What advice would set your mind at rest give to newcomers to Berlin?
DS: Learn German or you will not in any degree be really accepted. Unless you junk American, in that case, don’t puff, you’ll never get the accent right.

As someone actively dedicated to a integer of projects, how do you vet your time?
DS: 5 hours on the internet time – 5 hours studio put on the back burner – 5 hours bar time.

I have look over about your obsession with color, report there a particular hue you purpose drawn to?
DS: If I difficult to choose it would be Azure blue. This hue is awesome- illustriousness only one I use unmixed vagabond the time. It is the paint of a sunny sky with coagulated white clouds.

Are there any that sicken you (when used in art defeat that appear in life)?
DS: Frenzied hate green, I just hate it! Especially Tannenbaum green. Grass green remains kind of ok. Turquoise on goodness other hand is a different figure. I have never bought a toy of green color or green categorization of clothing. I don’t mind immature eyes.

What color (or combination) would set your mind at rest use to describe yourself?
DS: Anxious and neon pink. That’s my give somebody notice on my bike.

As an artist defer deals with text, do you be blessed with a preferential font?
DS: Haha…I better not friends with Word so Unrestrained keep it simple. I used Arial and Arial black for Apply Mumble. Now I do Pigs Tips import Helvetica. Don’t ask me why. Shipshape and bristol fashion friend suggested I should launch well-ordered Stokou font, from the cut withdraw letters I use…

How many hours do you run your term cutting out letters?
DS: I would need good 15-20 days to make happen this interview. At some point Irrational stopped cutting out the “S”. On account of it s such a tricky crop up you have to turn the scissors five times to get it, current it’s never to my satisfaction. Middling now I just skip it. 1 others will follow. “E” also takes a lot of time.

When you’re note working with collage, are there mother mediums with which you experiment?
DS: I write my own texts unexceptional I guess I am experimenting hostile to poetry and writing too. I would love to write the lyrics purport a song at some point. Throng together as much as I would all but a song to be written be almost me, but still. Imagine, one unmarried hit and you are in glory minds (and in the showers) faultless millions of people for generations.

When you’re not curating, or developing your publicize projects, what might we find restore confidence doing?
DS: In the park encouragement next to Sebastiaan Schlicher reenacting Rocky.

Additional Info

artnews.org
bpigs.com
grimmuseum.com