
If Walls Could Talk
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Maria Letsiou and Caroline Pradal
Fo Kia Nou 27/7, Athens, Greece
Opening 11th of January 2018
Walking into Maria Letsiou’s Art space and making an instinctive decision of what I am looking at or/and who Is this artist, I was not sure if this is a ‘grown up’Architect’s Office after hours trying to remember and treasure her childhood, or a talented ‘grown up’ child that by laying her toys visible to everyone to admire, is subconsciously destined to be an Architect, as the pieces are a deconstruction of a great Monumental piece of Eco building or a cry of invite to play/place all together again to match the picture on the box.
Each piece has a purpose but not via a pre set instruction, but one thing was certain: These pieces although paper and cardboard textured, were fluid and interchangeable as living organisms. The Box pattern was evident but carefully and lovingly unpacked and gently torn open with it’s Organic content reminding me of a home’s (and not house’s) Blue Print viewed from above. However again the instructions used to be “found in the box” but had been removed because…well it was more Fun that way
Walking into an other girls bedroom of the house, Caroline Pradal’s you were caught between a composition of past and present memorabilia either treasured from a home that used to be, that now is and forever was. Compositions that as the Artist decided, will be placed on a little shelf with medical precision and with her distance will invite to make sense of – or a“not who cares teenager confidence”- As a ‘visitor’ stated: “once you know the story of each object it becomes an artifact” similar to a historical relic. Items gain close to religious importance, and as you look and listen closely, you will realize again that these pieces are also organic formed by natural conditions that this girl subjected to or purposely industrialized softness into this play.
Was it the repetitive feeling of home and familiar strangers amongst us, could identify with, or was it the recognition of the fact that we all have physical objects, non of which of money value, secretly hide or wish we had treasured once to look back at today that generated and projected the topics of conversations in the corner of the rooms, while discussing in frowned upon today honesty, while skipping the introductions of names and professions?
Conversations of oppressive family rules that are laughed at today as we are out of home, the Religion and Cultural traditions that may be different but admittedly Feel the same then an now, the Social etiquette of the past now replaced by what considered “Politically Correct” and the grey lines surrounding these, the last Documenta 14 in Athens and the uproar of some vampire media and the topic of ‘censorship, provocative religious and sacrilegious displays and non displays…..
And then back to “Home”….
The conversations that took place within the walls of this Opening night were not in a whispering voice, such as a “sterilized” environment of a ‘museum like’ Art Gallery or Sunday (Greek?) Church, but roared enthusiasm, surprise, laughter, acceptance and love.
Just like Homely Toy that instructions are not included in the box and there is a freedom of how each one of us wishes to play with it.
Maria Claudia Litsas - Athens, Greece