The VR film that represented Greece at the 59th Venice Art Biennale is shown in an installation specifically designed for the Ionian Parliament as part of the Audio Visual Arts Festival 2024.
Taking Sophocles' tragedy "Oedipus on Colonus" as a starting point, the artist invites the audience to experience in a 360 virtual environment a story that deals with the issues of migration, displacement and human rights as they appear today mostly in megacities. The work directly addresses key issues concerning care, old age and death, human dignity and freedom, as well as the necessity of combating marginalization and social exclusion.
The protagonists of Alavanou's work are members of the Roma community from Nea Zoi Aspropyrgos, in West Attica. As the artist herself states: "This Roma community moved here in the 1980s from Thebes, just like Oedipus, who was also from Thebes. There is actually an assumption that the path Oedipus took on his way from Thebes to Colonus passed through this precise location, Nea Zoi—which interestingly means ‘New Life’.”
The project incorporates elements of documentary, fiction, slapstick, video clips inspired by the trans-Balkan pop culture of contemporary Roma singers, as well as the aesthetics of virtual reality technology. Loukia Alavanou uses technology in an innovative and radical way to tell a story with elements that are diachronic and translocal, connecting myth to reality and past to present.
Curated by Daphne Dragona
The exhibition is supported by Onassis Culture.
Loukia Alavanou is a moving image artist and filmmaker with exhibitions and awards worldwide. Since 2018 he has been involved in the field of VR film production, having founded the first VR film production company in Greece. In 2022 she represented Greece at the 59th Venice Art Biennale. Alavanou’s work has been presented at Casino Luxemburg, ΚΑΝΑΛ Centre Pompidou/Brussels, Palais de Bozar/Brussels, DESTE Foundation/ Athens, SMFA/ Boston, Palais de Tokyo/ Paris, Moscow Biennial, Center of Contemporary Art/ Thessaloniki, Museum of Cycladic Art/ Athens. They are also included in important international collections such as the Gucci Collection, Dakis Ioannou, The Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, ZKM, PCAI/ Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative, Onassis Culture, Fiorucci Art Trust.
EXHIBITION CREDITS
Artist: Loukia Alavanou
Curator of the project for the 17th Audiovisual Arts Festival: Daphne Dragona
Curator of Oedipus in Search of Colonus at the Greek pavilion of the 59 th Venice Biennale: Heinz Peter Schwerfel
Head of Construction at the Greek pavilion of the 59 the Venice Biennale: Martin Tabaku
FILM CREDITS
ACTORS:
Oedipus: Panagiotis Tsiriklos
Antigone: Mary Louloudaki
Thiseus: Orfeas Vasilaris
Narrator’s Voice: Alexandros Mylonas
Antigone’s Voice: Rena Kyprioti
Oedipus’ and Creon’s Voices: Gregory Patrick Karr
Produced by VRS Virtual Raw Synergy
Writer/ Director: Loukia Alavanou
360 Cinematographer: Yannis Kanakis
Music / Lyrics: Elbrus Hisenaj
Production Advisor Christina Pigaki
Animation: Haris Laloussis, Em Kei
Sound Design: Manolis Manousakis
Editing: Natalia Papadopoulou, Loukia Alavanou
The first edition of the film "Oedipus in Search of Colonus" is part of the Onassis Collection and was powered by Onassis Culture, supported by PCAI/Polygreen Culture and Art Initiative.
