Civilisation 2023
For some time now I try to cope with the overflow of information coming through the daily press. I tend to block out world news. In the rapidly changing world of the recent past, my interest in the concept of the boundary/ limit/ orio in het Grieks becomes more and more urgent.In economist/ecologist Giorgos Kallis’s book 'Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care' I found fascinating thoughts on the possibility of revaluing moderation, as once pursued by the ancient Greeks and other civilisations. From this book, I borrowed a phrase to create the work Civilisation.
‘Civilisation is the art of limiting the unlimited’, is scratched on ceramic sherds, a familiar image to Greeks. Numerous sherds were found near the ancient Agora in central Athens, on which names of famous and less famous Greeks had been scratched. They are a kind of ballot papers of antiquity. The Athenians wrote on broken pottery, abundant and virtually free, the name of the person who, in their opinion, was beginning to gain too much power, resulting in his being banned from the city for two years. Although those exiled received no further sanctions and were al- lowed to return after two years, many sages such as Themistocles and Perikles fell victim to it. This use of ‘ostracism’ as it was called, did not last long and was not uncontroversial. But it is the democratic attempt to limit power that fascinates me.
Civilisation (red) . 2023ceramic shards, engraving . 50 x 50 x 3 cm
Civilisation (bkack) . 2023ceramic shards, engraving . 50 x 50 x 3 cm
Numerous sherds 'ostraka' were found near the ancient Agora in central Athens, on which names of famous and less famous Greeks had been scratched. They are a kind of ballot papers of antiquity. The Athenians wrote on broken pottery, abundant and virtually free, the name of the person who, in their opinion, was beginning to gain too much power, resulting in his being banned from the city for two years. Although those exiled received no further sanctions and were allowed to return after two years, many sages such as Themistocles and Perikles fell victim to it. This use of ‘ostracism’ as it was called, did not last long and was not uncontroversial.
An anonymous imitation of a Greek amphorae with a small defect purchased at second-hand shop in Rotterdam has been used for the red version of the piece Civilisation.The black version is made with shards from a replica of an ancient dish from the classical period, made by ‘Vasso’ that I have purchased in Athens.
engraving proces
Archetype Home . 2023print, Hahnemühle paper, acid free tape, lacquer paint, mdf
13 x 18 x 2 cm | ed. 8
Walking in the archaeological site beneath the Acropolis near the ancient agora in Athens, a circle of white pebbles on the ground has intrigued me. A big white hairy dog stepped suddenly into it and lay down obviously using the space inside the circle as his own place.
I was fascinated by the minimal material needed here to create a border that can be beautiful, functional and subtle at the same time. This circle has been the inspiration for the work Civilisation.