3 October - 1 November 2008
Over the past decade Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva has developed a reputation
for producing ambitious and complex works in sculpture and installation. Central
to her practice has been a desire to respond to the particularities of a given
location, be it in terms of industry, community or (natural) environment. Hadzi-Vasileva’s
compulsion for responding to location has enabled her to produce a staggeringly
varied body of work incorporating sculpture, video installations, photography
and architectural interventions which require a significant level of industry
and resourcefulness.
In transforming or creating interventions in particular locations (forests, lakes, sea coasts, forts) Hadzi-Vasileva’s work offers the viewer an expansive sensory experience in terms of its scale, fragility and physicality. Her use of materials from the ‘natural’ world (such as trees, water, fish, bones, animal skins, watercress and butter, make smell (commonly associated with memory) an active part of experiencing her installations.
‘ We are Shadows’ continues with the artist’s interest in site in terms of history and culture. Unit 2 is located opposite what could be considered to be the East End’s most famous street, Brick Lane. This area of the East End is renowned for having become, at various times, home to various generations of immigrants - from Huguenots and Irish to Jewish and more recently Bangladeshi communities. For Hadzi-Vasileva, this location represents something of a fascination because she herself migrated from Macedonia to Britain in the early 1990s. Therefore, Hadzi-Vasileva is all too aware that below the surface of what is frequently celebrated as a ‘multi-cultural’ environment exists histories and lives of communities imbued with the realities of loss, struggle, conflict and survival. This perspective is something Hadzi-Vasileva can identify with, in respect to her experience of the recent war in her native home, the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Previous works by Hadzi-Vasileva, such as ‘Time Stands Still’ (2006) at Kilmainham Gaol Museum, reflect the artist’s ongoing interest in exploring history (and conflict) from both personal and distant vantage points. ‘Time Stands Still’ (2006) comprised a series of digitally generated photographs involving Kilmainham Gaol (a place once used for executions) to explore the parallels between the recent conflicts in Northern Ireland and the Former Yugoslavia.
During August and September 2008, artist Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva will decamp to Unit 2 to produce this new installation.
Artist: Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva
Exhibition: We Are Shadows
Opening Times: Tuesday - Friday 12 - 6pm and Saturday 1- 6pm
Admission: Free
Exhibition: 3 October – 1 November 2008
