The book ARRIVALS> Art from the new Europe (in which I participate) is out and distributed by Cornerhouse: “This publication documents the programme Arrivals > Art from the New Europe, a series of 10 exhibitions being shown over two years at Modern Art Oxford and Turner Contemporary, Margate and introducing the work of artists from the expanded European Union. In addition it invites specific questions around what does it mean, if anything, for artists, curators and cultural agents to be part of 'an expanded Europe”
Also by the same distributor you can find my book Prologue: Quoting Absence, published by Modern Art Oxford: “Prologue: Quoting Absence is the first part of a new three-part work by Christodoulos Panayiotou based on the structure of the academic dissertation. Four speakers with connections to Oxford University were invited to have a conversation on the theme of absence. This newly commissioned discussion features the astrophysicist Pedro G. Ferreira, the lecturer in late antique history Caroline Humfress, philosopher Dorothea Debus, and the artist and musician Jem Finer. The book exists in the form of a transcript of the recorded conversation, which took place on 4 July 2006 at 24/7 Recording and Rehearsal Studios and which is exhibited as a four-channel sound installation at Modern Art Oxford […].”
My friend Mathias was telling me the other day this beautiful story of his childhood… I asked him to write it done and here it is…
“I had an obsession with Marilyn Monroe when I was a child. I had obsessions with a lot of thing, like ballet, figure skating and later on Whitney Houston, but especially Marilyn Monroe had a strangely persistent appeal to me. On one wall of my room I had a poster of this iconic version of Marilyn where she stands on the subway grate in an urban street wearing that fabulous white dress that flies up but is held down by her soft arms in that particularly flawless pose. I wanted to be her but at the same time I was her. My mother (who is a fragile but also strong and proud woman and who in those days back in the early to mid eighties flirted with left wing feminism on a grass roots level in the provinces of Denmark) was into making her own and her two children’s clothes. One of my favourite (in hind site anyways) pieces of clothes that she made for me, was a brown and beige velour vest with a white dove appliquéd on the back – the dove was carrying a palm branch in it’s peak – a symbol for peace. So, with a mother by the sewing machine, come Halloween, she naturally made the costumes for my sister and me. For a long time I had had this image of me walking into the Halloween party in the kindergarten wearing exactly what Marilyn was wearing on my poster. Only, the picture being black and white, I imagined my version of the Marilyn dress in a dusty peach. I made drawing after drawing of this dress and left them in strategic places around the house for my mother to see. As Halloween came closer I eventually had to put into words what my wish for this year’s costume was: The peach version of the Marilyn Monroe dress. I have, and have always had, a round face with delicate features, high cheekbones and long eyelashes. Back then when I still had a fair amount of hair on my head, it was straight and blonde and had some length to it. My voice was high and I was a careful child. So, I was often mistaken for a girl. On top of that, I loved dressing up. In all sorts of styles and ethnic themes using my mother’s wardrobe and the dress up clothes my sister and I had and loved. The day before Halloween my mother still hadn’t made my carefully planned out breathtaking peach dress. In fact, she hadn’t made any costume for me at all. I don’t remember being nervous or stressed out about it, so my mother must have convinced me in her calm voice, that a costume would be ready for me the next morning. And a costume was ready. Only, it was not the peach coloured Marilyn dress, but a red and white clown’s costume. My reaction was stoic. No tears, no rolling around on the floor in anguish, no tearing up the costume. I put it on, painted my face white and red and headed for the Halloween party. The thing is that this specific costume had a feature to my liking. The collar that spread out under my face in layers of red and white fabric was constructed in a way so that it wasn’t attached to the rest of the costume. Basically it was just an elastic band with the fabric sewn unto it and this amazing elastic and fabric construction had potential: Once I arrived at the kindergarten I released myself from the soft yet so hard bonds of the clown’s costume and there, stripped to my underwear, I pulled the red and white elastic band collar down to my waist, and thus created a more suitable outfit that corresponded well with my glamorous ideas of my Halloween entrance. Okay, so it wasn’t the peach coloured Marilyn Monroe dress, but it was my very, very own red and white mini skirt.” Mathias Kryger Hansen
Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday” to the president Kennedy is one of the most explicit and audacious performances in history (and out of history, considering the subtext)
C'est presqu'au bout du monde Ma barque vagabonde, errant augré de l'onde m'y conduisit un jour. L'ile est toute petite, mais la fée qui l'habite gentiment nous invite à en faire le tour Youkali, c'est le paie de nos desirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur c'est le plaisir Youkali, c'est la terre où l'on quitte tous les soucis C'est dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie, c'est Youkali Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux échangés Youkali, c'est le paie des beaux amours partagés c'est l'esperance qui est au coeur de tout les humains La délivrance que nous attendons tous pour demains Youkali, c'est le paie de nos desirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur c'est le plaisir Mais c'est un rêve, une folie, il n'y a pas de Youkali. Et la vie nous entrainent, lassante quotidienne Mais la pauvre âme humaine cherchant partout l'oublie A pour quitté la terre, se trouver le mystêre Ou nos rêve ce terre en quelque Youkali Youkali, c'est le paie de nos desirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur c'est le plaisir Youkali, c'est la terre où l'on quitte tous les soucis C'est dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie, c'est Youkali Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux échangés Youkali, c'est le paie des beaux amours partagés c'est l'esperance qui est au coeur de tout les humains La délivrance que nous attendons tous pour demains Youkali, c'est le paie de nos desirs Youkali, c'est le bonheur c'est le plaisir Mais c'est un rêve, une folie, il n'y a pas de Youkali.
They met in 1980 when a soviet coach paired them as ice-skating partners. They won almost all the competitions they entered and became gold champions in 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Their inevitable love affair has been announced in 1989 and a marriage followed in 1991. “However, tragedy struck in November of 1995, when Sergei Grinkov collapsed and died from a massive heart attack in Lake Placid, New York, while he and his wife were practicing for their upcoming performance in the 1995-1996 Stars on Ice tour. Doctors found that Sergei had severely clogged coronary arteries due to a heart disease.”
Maia Usova and Alexander Zhulin
I remember watching this program (which is unfortunately not on you tube yet), where Zhulin and Usova performed a choreography on a love song with a heart shaped balloon as a prop. The bitter comments of the BBC sports presenter alongside with her positive critics on the dance created a peculiar tension… For this precise competition they were performing together after separated (and before they both got other partners). “Life, however, isn't quite as rosy for Maia Usova and Alexandr Zhulin. While residing in Lake Placid and training for the 1994 Olympics, "Sasha" Zhulin had an affair with another Russian skater, Oksana (later to be Pasha, then Oksana again) Grishuk . Though Usova & Zhulin stayed together long enough to win the Silver in Lillehammer (behind, of all people, Grishuk & Evgeny Platov), they divorced soon after.”
Sted / Fabrikken for Kunst og Design / Sundholmsvej 46 / 2300 KBH S / Dato / Tid / tirsdag den 19.06 / kl.17-19.00
Christodoulos Panayiotou er udstillingsaktuel på udstillingen gaze.space.desire på Den Frie, kurateret af Sanne Kofod Olsen, som har inviteret ham til København igennem CPH AIR. Christodoulos Panayiotou vil vise og tale om sine nuværende og fremtidige værker i samtale med Lotte Juul Petersen på Fabrikken.
Christodoulos Panayiotou iscenesætter som kunstner forholdet mellem vores medfødte begær og deres kulturelle konstruktioner. Hans værker er på gang ironiske, ømme, analytiske men samtidig dybt følte i de samarbejder han skaber for at producere sine værker. Han er som kunstner en vidende kulturel forbruger, som ikke er bange for at henfalde sig et meget romantisk og poppet æstetisk brug af sit materiale, men gør direkte brug af det i sine overdådige performance og videoer.
Christodoulos Panayiotou har udstillet sine projekter i mange forskellige internationale sammenhænge og modtog i 2005 den anerkendte pris 4th DESTE Prize, som uddeles til lovende kunstnere af DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athen, Grækenland
"There's a place for us, Somewhere a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air Wait for us Somewhere. There's a time for us, Some day a time for us, Time together with time to spare, Time to look, time to care, Someday! Somewhere. We'll find a new way of living, We'll find a way of forgiving Somewhere.
There's a place for us, A time and place for us. Hold my hand and we're half way there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there Somehow, Someday, Somewhere"
Sylvia Looking at Haris Epaminonda's work Garibaldi Street The naked ferry boys of Gelatin Group With Joseph in a church Felix Gonzales Torres, Use and Abuse Peggy Guggenheim’s dog cementary The Belgian Pavilion super swimming contest at Grand Hotel des Bains in Lido Scissor Sisters at the German Party (Great) Portuguese Pavilion Opening, with Jurgen Breakfast at Zabludowicz at the Yacht Sea Bluez iIn Florentin with Sylvia, Alexia, Joseph and Rorit With Joseph Swimming in Lido
Yesterday I had a nice walk by the fake lakes of Copenhagen with Mattias. He likes ice-cream, he is an art historian and a great singer. He has these two nice tattoos on his arms: a proud rooster and a creedy little diamond.
Monday, June 4, 2007
My friend Gert came to visite me, since he was on the other side in Malmo for work. We stayed at home a lot, got very bored and took a lot of pictures (Gert likes a lot to be photographed)
Then we have been to a really bad Italian restaurant and had horrible pizza to eat. Now Gert is back to Belgium.
The book ARRIVALS> Art from the new Europe (in which I participate) is out and distributed by Cornerhouse: 
Also by the same distributor you can find my book Prologue: Quoting Absence, published by Modern Art Oxford: 
