ΠΛεὔΣΗ, or A trip towards prosperity I

Sketchbook, mixed techniques, 2020

Exhibited in Platforms 2020 Indipendent ArtFair
6th studio of ASFA, Curated by George Kazazis, Panagiotis Siagris, Dimitra Chanioti

ΠΛεὔΣΗ means “sailing” in Greek, written in a way that emphasizes εὖ, which means “good” in ancient Greek.
Initially, as the subtitle emphasizes, the title was inspired by illegal immigration, a boat commonly being used as the transporting migrant vehicle. It also refers to the contradictory nature of the sea, which can become a bridge to the longed-for destination, or kill, when its conditions are tempestuous and stormy.In addition to its realistic reference, it also has however more symbolic dimensions. It refers to the feeling of being at a crossroads, at a nonspecific condition, at the limit of human endurance and a profound uncertainty. Therefore, the metaphors are many: to float, not only literally, but in the sense of not having solid, stable earth underfoot. So, in a wider sense, the project refers to any population of people living in a land where they are not officially supposed to reside, or where they were not born, or where there are no buried ancestors to create roots, with all the social, political and physical consequences that this entails.