Greek art historian Dimitra Tsiaouskoglou presents artist Rania Bellou – curator’s pick

Where’s Art invites Greek art historian and curator Dimitra Tsiaouskoglou to introduce the research on drawing and photography by artist Rania Bellou.

Rania Bellou (b. 1982, Thessaloniki, Greece) lives and works in London. Working with diverse media, such as drawing, multimedia, installation and photography, her artistic practice revolves around the notions of memory, authenticity and identity. With a keen interest in micro-histories and the forgotten side of History, she delves into the past and draws material from ‘private’ archives found in antique markets. Old family photo albums, memorabilia and documents, all function as “lieux de mémoire” that trigger personal and, to a further extent, collective memories. Subjecting these fragmented stories and objects to manipulation, rearrangement and juxtaposition, blending them with imagination, Bellou establishes new narratives, which suggest a perception of the world outside of time.

In her latest works, a series of drawings on superimposed multiple layers of fragile paper raise questions on how we understand our past, how we relate it to the present and how we perceive material from bygone eras. As the artist states: “Based on the Proustian model of subjective memory, my works ‘force’ the return to ‘personal’ memories. Such a return however cannot be equal to a thorough recreation of a past situation, but is a ‘free’ journey among blurred and vague mental images with its intentional forgetfulness. By becoming a cultural archeologist, an archivist having a knowledge of the material I am using, I am trying to draw new links between what was deposited there, giving birth to unpredictable stories.”

Rania Bellou has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. Education: Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London (ΜΑ, Scenography); School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki. Residency: Royal College of Art Sculpture, London (Richard Wentworth). Awards/Scholarships: Finalist, Young Mediterranean Artistic Scene Prize (2014); Onassis Foundation (2012-2013); J. and Z. Spyropoulos Foundation Award (1st Prize) (2008).

She is represented by Kalfayan Galleries. Her solo show “Forty Floating Moons” is currently on view at Kalfayan Galleries, Athens until 27 September 2014.

Dimitra Tsiaouskoglou

Dimitra Tsiaouskoglou (b. 1984, Thessaloniki, Greece) is an art historian and curator currently based in Athens. She holds a MA in Art history and a degree in History & Archaeology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Over the last three years she has worked both in institutions and independently as a curatorial assistant and writer. In 2012 she was selected to participate in the International Curatorial Training Program of École du MAGASIN (France), where she co-curated the group exhibition “I lie to them.” Based on a True Story. More recently, she has received a grant for the NEON Curatorial Exchange in partnership with the Whitechapel Gallery and a fellowship from Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts.