Martyrium

Martyrium 2012

rope & chairs

6,5 x 5 x 2 m

gallery Françoise Heitsch, Munich
(cur. Olga Daniylopoulou)

…
The capturing of political phenomena and events is a central theme in the work of Andreas Savva [Cyprus, 1970]. Initially motivated by the ongoing events in Greece, his latest installation at Françoise Heitsch deals with the current European political landscape as a whole. With materials typical for his work, such as ropes and everyday objects, the relations and reciprocal effects between the single member states of the European Union are represented. Savva’s installation is also dominated by the fierce state of uncertainty current European politics are trapped in – 12 chairs, representatives for each star of the European flag, are woven into a large-scale network of stretched ropes. The chairs, whose original function suggests stability and tranquillity, are diverted from their intended use – instead, they float in ambiguity, and remain suspended in a dangerous situation similar to that of a spider web. And just as exhausting and labour-intensive it is for a spider to construct her net, so is the physical act of erecting such a work for the artist. The manual act of weaving and tying, which demands exact calculations and measurements, symbolises not only the previous path the union took, but also the expectations we have from present-day’s politics in order to find a solution proper. The construct is simultaneously a system in which every element has its functional place contributing to the preservation of this mechanism as a whole.
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(this text is part of the press release of the solo exhibition “Martyrium”, held in Munich, in the gallery Françoise Heitsch, in November 2012 – January 2013).