Yorgos Sapountzis
A Parasite in the Night
“Art has the power to say: This is totally alive, I saw it moving. And this is not a person – it’s a stone! I like to go as a parasite and take the energy off the sculpture.” Meet the dynamic Greek performance artist Yorgos Sapountzis. Read more …
Like a parasite Yorgos Sapountzis appropriates the statues and monuments that inhabit public space. Sapountzis hunts the urban, figurative myths by night or explores them for days with his camera. His installations and performances combine elements of ritual, theatre and poetry – ignoring historical information and instead allowing the sculptures to speak through their shape, ornaments and poses. In this interview he explains how he believes that “art has the power to go beyond the philosophic rules, which puts things in order.” It’s all about being open to what’s coming towards you,” he says.
Yorgos Sapountzis (b. 1976) is a Greek artist from Athens. Selected exhibitions include Art Forum Berlin and Gallery Isabella Bortolozzi in Berlin, National Theatre and National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, Argos Centre in Brussels and 1st Athens Biennale. He lives and works in Berlin.
The video with Yorgos Sapountzis was recorded at the TWO DAYS ART festival at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, May 2012. In the video we follow Sapountzis as he films sculptures during the night, as well as when he presents his surprising performances on the grounds of the museum.
Cameras: Sonja Strange, Troels Kahl and Martin Kogi.
Edited by: Sonja Strange and Martin Kogi.
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
Supported by Nordea-fonden