Visual artist and performer Yiannis Pappas expresses through his art a reaction against the current world political scenery, while aiming for the audience’s interactivity, so as to strengthen their taking part in this uncommon yet powerful protest.

He is particularly concerned over the proliferation of the ideologies of hatred, which bring forth fascist and nazi perceptions, and that’s why he recently joined the participatory performance Voices Unveiled, hosted at the Begehungen art festival, held in Chemnitz, Germany. “It is a meaningful form of protest, as a counterpart to the city’s intense fascist activity,” notes Yiannis Pappas.

“The world political stage is in a state of crisis, and the neoliberal forces consolidate a two-tier condition, placing economic growth over human and ecological rights. This widespread disappointment unfortunately fuels political abstinence, leaving room to people who do not act on the basis of the common good,” he mentions. Nevertheless, he lets glimmers of hope permeate this dark reality through his art and the active participation of other people.

The response of the audience – as in the case of the live exhibition No Intermission, curated by the Marina Abramović Institute, where he showcased the work REVISE, staged at the Royal Theater Carré – gives him hope that art can indeed become a platform for real change. “Through these processes, new empowering narratives emerge, questioning the traditional structures. The main message I received was the reaffirmation of relational art, which finds its way to the inner layers of the social web.”

According to Yiannis Pappas art enables the cultivation of a sense of collective action. “Every bit of participation, every new work, is an opportunity to stir awareness and pave the way for change. I may be pessimistic about the current political climate, but I remain optimistic about art’s ability to trigger democratic dialogue, to give voice to all things smothered, to inspire people and lead them away from any fanaticism.”

He perceives art as a process of understanding and collective memory, which allows us to handle the traumatic experiences of the past and draw strength from them for the future. In this spirit he created his work for the exhibition Everyone here. 50 years of Democracy, hosted in the beginning of 2024 at MOMus-Museum Alex Mylonas. “These bridges are necessary for the protection and reinvigoration of democracy, which is always fragile and under threat,” he explains.

In the autumn of 2024 he will take part at the International Forum of Performing Arts (IFPA) centered on “Utopias: The Topology of the Impossible”, held in Drama, Greece, whereas in 2025, alongside the Voidspace team that focuses on interactive works, he will present the long-duration performance for better [or] for worst, at London’s Deli Theater.

He was recently awarded for the experimental video performance titled flux, within the framework of the exhibition he hosted at the Fluxus Museum of Paros; in the end of 2024 he will showcase his work at the OFF Biennale – Something Else, in Cairo, curated by Moataz Nasreldin and Simon Njami, while also planning a trip to Istanbul to conduct a research on long-duration performance. He believes that (inter)changes of places, media and collaborations are unavoidable, as well as a vital part of both the artistic and personal life, that’s why he never chooses them at random.

“Every new environment, every new medium and every new collaboration brings along a new perspective that enables me to see things from different angles and question my existing views. This dialogue between the old and the new, the known and the unknown, is a fundamental stage of evolution,” he points out, while adding that equally fundamental is the careful choice of the changes we embrace and the ones we resist to.

“There are moments when I feel the need to safeguard something solid, to protect an idea or a value threatened by alteration. Resistance is equally important with change, as it gives us the chance to closely examine who we are, what we do, and where we wish to go. Therefore, yes, we do evolve through change, but evolution does not always mean an unconditional acceptance of the new circumstances.”

Contact: y_pappas@yahoo.gr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pappas.yiannis/