Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

1/13/13 7:26 PM

HOME

GUEST BLOG

EDUCATION

VIDEO

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis

July 2nd, 2010 by Georgia Kotretsos

new artists, new films

Like Tweet 10 1

search

subscribe
Art21 Blog feed Video feed Education feed Guest Blog feed

New films in New York Close Up premiering throughout 2012

flash points

communicate

recent comments
How are stories and art
Paul Zografakis, "Frontman From Middle Earth," Performance Festival, Thessaloniki Biennale 2, 2009

intertwined?

Agnieszka in Dissecting the Social Self: A [Wo]Man, an Animal, and an Ambiguous I. : Interesting... dennis in When Works of Literature Make The Leap: Joe, looking at Glenn Ligon this summer inspired me to give my ap... Kyle in Videogame Appropriation in Contemporary Art: Grand Theft Auto (GTA): I love the amount of work Rockstar puts... Docsson in The Art + Brain Files: These sound, to me at least, the same comments that were (and for some continue to... Birgitte Lamb in More Moments, More Dialogue: Hi Joe. This sounds very interesting and is clearly a subject of...

Paul Zografakis is a Greek-American artist who was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and based in Athens, Greece since 2007. Paul arrived in Athens on a Fulbright Scholarship to focus on performance and then he decided to stay. He holds a BFA from Miami University, Oxford, OH (1997) and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute (2005). Paul emphatically stated as we spoke, I have been educated to seek and create opportunities and this is what I do. His tenacity, pace, and focus are admirable, while his exceptional sense of humor and gentle nature reflect his attentive upbringing. As you read this, he occupies a basement with his studio-mates and Betty at Gyzi, Athens. His work often borrows and appropriates from real life events, stories, magazines, and other visual audio and social experiences. He performs, he sculpts, he paints, he draws, he makes collages he is an artist, so expect to see it all. Greece is definitely the place to experiment with facial hair and Paul does it phenomenally well. He has even been caught sporting the old time classic Yanni look. He goes from being a Rocker to being a Cretan just like that. Please, allow me to introduce you to this promising artist and dear friend, Paul Zografakis. Georgia Kotretsos: Since arriving in Athens three years ago, you have made an impression on me as a doer of very few means. First the project space Kafeneon and recently Athens Open Studios. Youre particularly inclusive in your efforts; are you beginning to identify your role within the Greek art community? Paul Zografakis: When I arrived in Athens, I was already participating in projects associated with the first Athens Biennial one called Old Timey Radio Show with ArtWaves Radio and a collaborative video with you in Karaoke Poetry Bar, organized by Intothepill. There was a lot going on that summer in Athens, exciting times. However, as fall neared, I noticed a dire lack of artist-run initiatives and alternative art spaces; I missed the free form art approach existing in San Francisco. So, I asked my landlady to use the empty storefront in my building and that started me thinking about neon (Kafeneon), which more or less consisted of coffee, lectures, and exhibitions.

featured video

David Altmejd: "Assistants"

teaching with contemporary art

In and out of the classroom

pages
About Art21 About the Art21 Blog Writers and Contributors

blogger-in-residence

newsletter
Sign up

art21 online
Michael Neault, Content and Media Producer, Portland, OR on Art21.org on Blip.tv on Del.icio.us on Facebook on Flickr on iTunes on PBS on Twitter on YouTube

categories
> Columns (1284) > 5 Questions for Contemporary Practice (21) > Alchemy of Inspiration (5) > Art 2.1: Creating on the Social Web (16) > Bedfellows: Art and Visual Culture (15) > BOMB in the Building (19) > Bound: The Printed Object in

blogroll
16 Miles of String 2 Buildings 1 Blog Art Fag City

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 1 of 6

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

Context (6) > Cairo in Context: Art and Change in the Middle East (4) > Calling from Canada (15) > Center Field | Art in the Middle with Bad at Sports. (58) > Future Metaphors (3) > Gastro-Vision (37) > GIF(t) Basket (8) > Gimme Shelter: Performance Now (18) > Ink: Notes on the Contemporary Print (29)
Paul Zografakis, Kafeneon, Pop-Up project space, Athens, 2008

1/13/13 7:26 PM

Art Whirled Artlog ArtsBeat Bad at Sports BAM 150 BOMBlog C-Monster Creative Capital The Lab Culture Monster Ed Winkleman Eyeteeth Henry Art Gallery: Hankblog Hrag Vartanian Hyperallergic IMA Blog LACMA: Unframed Look Into My Owl Mattress Factory Modern Art Notes MoMA: Inside/Out New Curator OC Art Blog PBS NewsHour: Art Beat SFMOMA: Open Space The Artblog The Ben Street The Daily Beast The Gray Area (Grey Art Gallery, NYU) The Huffington Post Two Coats of Paint updownacross VernissageTV Walker Art Center

> Inside the Artist's Studio (40) > Inspired Reading (12) > Letter from London (92) > Lives and Works in Berlin (28) > Looking at Los Angeles (81) > New Kids on the Block (4) > No Preservatives: Conversations about Conservation (37) > On Location: Inside Art Documentary Production (9) > On View Now (32) > Open Enrollment (145) > Praxis Makes Perfect (35) > Problematic: Answering Questions with Questions (2) > Revolution 2.1 (3) > Teaching with Contemporary Art (268) > The Weekly Roundup (198)

At its core, Kafeneon involved opening the dilapidated store-front and serving free Greek coffee to passersby, to serve as a mechanism to entice visitors who would likely never enter an Art Space. Based on conversations with friends and strangers, I arranged two lectures every Wednesday with topics ranging from BBQ and Ballet to Conflict Resolution in Africa and Professional Wrestling. It was amazing to see artists and non-artists perform each lecture with varying analog and multimedia approaches.

Paul Zografakis, Kafeneon gathering, Athens, 2008. Photo credit: Chrisavgi Tsovili.

archives
January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

> Transmission (5) > Turkish and Other Delights (11) > What's Cookin': The Art21ndex (34) > Word is a Virus (7) Week in Review (1) > Flash Points: (421) Compassion: Do artists have a social responsibility? (29) Fantasy: Does art expand our ability to imagine? (26) How are stories and art intertwined? (12) How can art effect political change? (74) How do we experience art? (73) How does art respond to and redefine the natural world? (40) How is art influenced? (35) Must art be ethical? (40) Systems: Can art transcend paradigms? (32) The New Culture Wars: What's at Stake? (9) Transformation: How does art adapt and change over time? (26)

Organizing the exhibitions through what I like to call accidental curating, was challenging since my art contacts at the time were few. Initially I approached students at the Athens School of Fine Arts offering them the space to organize a show. I didnt impose any rules on their participation; I was just curious to see who would jump at the opportunity. In the end, the first show consisted of 10 artists who seemed to understand the idea behind the space. The second show was a solo show by Eva Michalaki, who immediately accepted the invitation and took over the space for her large scale installation, Ik hou van je maar ik verdien je niet (I love you but i dont deserve you). The final show consisted of international videos and live performances and drew a huge crowd. I enjoyed instigating artists to take a chance, work with no budget and no time, and am humbled by the support Kafeneon received.

Paul Zografakis, "Uber Creation and Ultimate Destruction of the Universe," performed at Kafeneon's Final Show, Athens, 2008.

Most of my close friends in Athens I made through Kafeneon, including my studio mates Sifis Lykakis, Stelios Karamanolis, and Tula Ploumi, who constitute the Athens Open Studios team.

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 2 of 6

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

1/13/13 7:26 PM

What influences art? (47) What is the value of art? (83) What's so shocking about contemporary art? (40) > Video: (528) Classroom (15) Conversation (8) Excerpt (35) Exclusive (186) New York Close Up (62) Reblog (198) Spoof (6) Uncut (4)
Betty, Stelios Karamanolis, Tula Ploumi, Paul Zografakis, and Sifis Lykakis at their studio in Gyzi, June 2010

May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007

Access '12 (1) Art21 Access '09 (25) Art21 Artists: (1390) Ai Weiwei (19) Alejandro Almanza Pereda (1) Alfredo Jaar (59) Allan McCollum (40) Allora & Calzadilla (68) An-My L (30) Andrea Zittel (49) Ann Hamilton (47) Arturo Herrera (39) assume vivid astro focus (5) Barbara Kruger (65) Barry McGee (75) Beryl Korot (10) Bruce Nauman (82) Cai Guo-Qiang (68) Cao Fei (47) Carrie Mae Weems (79) Catherine Opie (7) Catherine Sullivan (26) Charles Atlas (28) Cindy Sherman (61) Collier Schorr (35) David Altmejd (4) David Brooks (3) Diana Al-Hadid (2) Do-Ho Suh (43) Doris Salcedo (30) El Anatsui (17) Eleanor Antin (40) Elizabeth Murray (17) Ellen Gallagher (26) Erin Shirreff (1) Florian Maier-Aichen (19) Fred Wilson (35) Gabriel Orozco (55) Glenn Ligon (15) Hiroshi Sugimoto (54) Hubbard & Birchler (8) Iigo Manglano-Ovalle (25) Ida Applebroog (27)

The idea came from conversations about who and where are the artists in Athens, so we decided to find out. Greeks dont tend to collaborate or participate easily but as I learned through Kafeneon, if there is a mechanism, participation is inevitable. So very much in the spirit of inclusiveness, we created AOS, which was a simple call for artists in Athens to open their studios (whether kitchen or bedroom) on the same days. Simple and non-pretentious was our intent, and we are happy with the outcome which included about 50 artists, who took a step towards strengthening an obscure Greek artistic community. My role in this community? Well I can go to only so many gallery openings before getting bored. I am a firm supporter of creative discussion, collaboration, and risk-taking and will align myself with anyone willing to explore new modes of artistic undertakings in Athens. GK: In your performances, specifically Frontman From Middle Earth, 2009; In Conversation With, 2008; and Waiting for a Sign, 2006, I get the sense of a Broken Telephone idea running through these projects. The desire to communicate, to create the conditions for participation and your effort to deliver unrehearsed material, asks of your viewers to adapt to the conditions of your experiments. Please reflect on these performances and enlighten us on how youve set up these complex interactions. PZ: The broken telephone is a great analogy. I would also accept photocopy of a photocopy, but most of my work does contains a sense of convolution. The idea is to take everyday tropes an interview, a protest, or rock concert and inject an element of discomfort a variable, middle-man, whatever as long as it takes the situation out of my control and forces me to improvise and solve problems. I believe people participate in my work because they identify with the scenario; its not as foreign to some as participating in a discussion about painting, and therefore they feel comfortable. In Waiting for a Sign, I merely gave people a medium for expressing their feelings without consequence, since I took ownership of their messages with the help of my trusty bullhorn.

support art21
Your tax-deductible donation provides crucial support for Art21 projects.

admin
Admin access

Paul Zografakis, "Waiting for a Sign," 2006. Union Square, San Francisco.

James Turrell (48) Janine Antoni (43) Jeff Koons (89) Jenny Holzer (99) Jessica Stockholder (37) John Baldessari (79) John Feodorov (4) Josephine Halvorson (2)

In Conversation With, I created the situation of a closed room discussion for participants to talk freely and answer difficult if not personal questions without judgment, since the interviews were being broadcast live without sound in another area of the exhibition space.

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 3 of 6

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

1/13/13 7:26 PM

Josiah McElheny (44) Judy Pfaff (40) Julie Mehretu (60) Kalup Linzy (20) Kara Walker (86) Keltie Ferris (10) Kerry James Marshall (47) Kiki Smith (85) Kimsooja (20) Krzysztof Wodiczko (37) Lari Pittman (21) LaToya Ruby Frazier (12)
Paul Zografakis, "In Conversation With...", Athens, 2008

Laurie Anderson (57) Laurie Simmons (42) Laylah Ali (36) Liz Magic Laser (2) Louise Bourgeois (93) Lucas Blalock (8) Lynda Benglis (5) Margaret Kilgallen (17) Mariah Robertson (5) Marina Abramovi (16) Mark Bradford (100) Mark Dion (88) Martha Colburn (8) Martin Puryear (35) Mary Heilmann (33) Mary Reid Kelley (8) Matthew Barney (52) Matthew Ritchie (30)

The room became very much a confessional, while the viewers focused on physical aspects of interpersonal communication imagining what it was we were talking about. Frontman From Middle Earth was the most fun Ive had making art!

Paul Zografakis, "Frontman From Middle Earth," Performance Festival, Thessaloniki Biennale 2, 2009

Maya Lin (56) Mel Chin (32) Michael Ray Charles (6) Mika Tajima (7) Mike Kelley (84) Nancy Spero (51) Oliver Herring (54) Paul McCarthy (46) Paul Pfeiffer (22) Pepn Osorio (16) Pierre Huyghe (35) Rackstraw Downes (5) Rashid Johnson (17) Raymond Pettibon (52) Richard Serra (69) Richard Tuttle (37) Robert Adams (37) Robert Mangold (4) Robert Ryman (31) Roni Horn (34) Sally Mann (30) Sarah Sze (11) Shahzia Sikander (32) Shana Moulton (11) Susan Rothenberg (19) Tabaimo (4) Tim Hawkinson (22) Tommy Hartung (4) Trenton Doyle Hancock (38) Ursula von Rydingsvard (35) Vija Celmins (29) Walton Ford (21)

A month prior to the performance, I asked friends to write songs for me, just lyrics, whatever however they wanted. I started memorizing these lyrics and found NOVO, a 2-man band in Thessaloniki who agreed to help. So I showed up to the performance with my lyrics and they showed up with their music and we started playing. Simply, the idea was to be a Rock Star of failure. Since I had never heard NOVO play before, I was having to fit my memorized lyrics to their music in real time, while playing the part of Rock Star, on stage, in front of a live audience. Not easy! In the end though, it must have been better than I thought because a few fans hung around to thank me. And, thats not quite a wrap yet. The second half of my discussion with Paul will be posted this coming Monday. Stay tuned! We will be talking about his latest work, the first body of work he created in Athens, and his new creative endeavor.
Tweet 1 Like 10 0

Posted in: > Inside the Artist's Studio, Greece, Interviews, Performance, Social Similar posts: Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis Part 2 , kaput. , What does new and interesting mean? , Rambo is missing his brothers! , @ EMST in Athens Comments (2)

2 Responses to Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis Artist News Inside the Artist's Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog on July 2, 2010 11:41 am [...] this link: Inside the Artist's Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog Tags: athens, focuson-performance, fulbright, fulbright-scholarship, greece, zografakis Posted in [...]

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis Part 2 | Art21 Blog on July 5, 2010 6:24 am [...] half of the discussion I had with Paul Zografakis at Gyzi, Athens and the continuation of Fridays post. He opened his studio to me and I am now showing it to [...]

Trackback URI | Comments RSS Name (required)

William Kentridge (91) William Wegman (35)

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 4 of 6

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

1/13/13 7:26 PM

Yinka Shonibare MBE (61)

Email (required) Website Leave a Reply

Art21 News (300) Biennials (61) Education (432) Exhibitions (735) Festivals (49) Guest Blog (710) Interviews (305) Locations: (1669) Africa (15) Argentina (5) Asia (15) Australia (12) Brazil (2) Canada (48) Caribbean (2) China (24) Colombia (5) Cuba (4) Denmark (11) Egypt (2) Finland (10) France (26) Germany (83) Greece (23) Guatemala (1) Iceland (2) India (7) Iraq (2) Ireland (7) Israel (1) Italy (31) Japan (6) Korea (2) Mexico (11) Middle East (14) Netherlands (13) Peru (3) Poland (3) Russia (2) Scotland (3) South Africa (13) Spain (29) Sweden (10) Switzerland (18) Taiwan (1) Thailand (1) Turkey (22) Ukraine (1) United Kingdom (154) USA (1271) Boston (27) Chicago (165) Connecticut (3) Houston (9) Indianapolis (28) Los Angeles (185) Miami (18) Minneapolis (3) Nebraska (3) New Orleans (23) New York City (569) North Carolina (4) Ohio (10)

Submit Comment

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 5 of 6

Inside the Artists Studio: Paul Zografakis | Art21 Blog

1/13/13 7:26 PM

Philadelphia (21) Pittsburgh (6) Portland (3) San Francisco (89) Seattle (12) Texas (30) Washington (4) Washington D.C. (28) Media: (1629) Architecture (60) Design (82) Drawing & Collage (285) Fashion (27) Film & Video (421) Food (42) Installation (590) New Media (261) Painting (377) Performance (346) Photography (329) Printmaking (95) Public Art (224) Sculpture (455) Social (208) Sound (41) Sound & Music (100) Photos (23) Podcasts (14) Prizes (46) Programs-Events (297) Publications (103) Season 5 (113) Season 6 (32) Support Art21 (19) Uncategorized (75) William Kentridge: Anything is Possible (20)

Art21, Inc. 20012013. All rights reserved. Art21 is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization; all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
contact us posts(RSS) comments (RSS) top

http://blog.art21.org/2010/07/02/inside-the-artists-studio-paul-zografakis/

Page 6 of 6