“My name is Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos. I graduated from the Athens School of Fine Arts, department painting (ASFA 2003) at professor's A. Christakis studio and studied also at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris (ENSBA 2001-2002) at the atelier of C. Boltanski. I continued my studies in ASFA, attending the master degree course in Digital Arts (2004-2006) as scholar of the Greek National Scholarship Foundation (IKY). I have participated in several group exhibitions internationally (Tokyo, Shanghai, Vienna, Paris, Edinburgh, Athens, etc.) and been awarded with the following prizes: the 8 th Louis Vuitton international prize(2002), the 1 st award of the Spyropoulos foundation (2002), Germination13, international Biennial for young artists (2001). I was also nominee at the premiere selection of the 5 th DESTE foundation award (2007) and to represent Greece at the National Pavilions for the 52 nd Venice Biennial (2006).

At the moment, I live and work in Athens, Greece, while recently (2007-2008) I participated at the international research program of the CCA Kitakyushu institution in Japan, where I stayed for almost one year as scholar of the Goulandris foundation and the CCA Kitakyushu scholarship committee.

Living in Japan is an extraordinary experience every moment. What is most fascinating is the different ways quality is expressed on everyday life compared to the western idea. Apart from the high technological level contemporary Japan has achieved, its people keep a level of humanitarian behaviors that makes everyone feel safe and welcome and assists foreigners to settle easily. This is due to the contact Japanese people keep with their tradition, its order and their need to share such knowledge in practice with other people. One of my greatest experiences was my visit at the Eihei-Ji temple (the center of Soto Zen in Japan) in Fukui prefecture where I stayed for 4 days practicing zazen*2.

In Yahata, I studied the Japanese language at the Hibiki library and attended tea ceremony lessons at the Otani Citizens Center. There I met very interesting and generous people with whom we became good friends and we keep contact. People in Japan seem to have found a balance enjoying being themselves within the new global financial environment and its values that promote a certain civil human character while in other countries people seem more confused within this new global condition.

*1. Extract of a classical hokku by Matsuo Bashō: 富士の風や扇にのせて江戸土産 : fuji no kaze ya oogi ni nosete Edo miyage : the wind of Mt. Fuji I've brought on my fan! a gift from Edo.

*2. This is not the correct way to do zazen 2008 , Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos, digital

I was very happy to be part of the CCA Kitakyushu international research program in 2007-2008. CCA Kitakyushu institution has been developed since 1998, by the initiative of its director Mr. Nobuo Nakamura and its program director Mrs. Akiko Myake (curators) as well as the contribution of an important international board of artists and curators such as M. Abramovits, D. Buren, L. Weiner, O. Eliasson, Hans Urlich Obrist and many others. The institution is subsidized by the city of Kitakyushu in south Japan at Fukuoka prefecture and is based in Yahata.

During my stay at the CCA Kitakyushu I created a series of art works and participated in several group exhibitions (Maeda studios, Nippon steel festival, Open studios 2008, Playtime Tokyo) as well as I organized my own events – performances – at the ikki bar in Yahata (The Police arrested Don Quichote, duration: 42') and at the Institute for Art Studies (IAS) in Fukuoka (Nippon steel 1901-2008, duration: 30')

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To the state of glamorous dreams I contribute a hole 2008 , installation views from the CCA Kitakyushu Open Studio 2008 exhibition, painted wooden panel placed on roof, dimensions: 273x182x80cm, wood, screws, enamel paint.

 

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In the artists studio I see eternal effort looping 2008, installation views from the CCA Kitakyushu Open Studio 2008 exhibition, paper sculpture with white stone (paper tape, enamel paint, red tape, white stone from Aso mountain, wood, dimensions: 200x75x35cm) and light sculpture (wood, black tape, color neon lights, enamel paint, dimensions: 185x105cm)

 

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In the name of love I kidnapped my curator 2008, installation views from the CCA Kitakyushu Open Studio 2008 exhibition, CD audio sound (when I fall in love, Doris Day bought on itunes), 2 DVD's and 2 DVD players, 2 monitors, headphones, white curtain (400x382cm), black paint, 4 digital photos A3 format, dimensions variable

When realizing my works I had the support of the Yahata community. The panel construction was made at the studios of the Kitakyushu Innovation Gallery Studio (KIGS) in Yahata and was transferred and placed on roof with the help of Mr. Ono (Panasonic technician and store owner).

The small paper sculpture was made in cooperation with Mr. Matsuzaki, sculptor and high school teacher at Yahata's high school. On the videos Mrs. Hiromi Yashumoto and Mr. Shunzo Yoda's jazz band are featuring and the shootings where made at Sarakura Mountain and the ikki bar- basement with the kind help of Mr. Youchirou Yashumoto.

I would like to thank them all for their generous help and support.”

 

Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos, artist