Art persists in a time of pandemic

Interview with Greek visual artist, Yiannis Galanopoulos, one of the 40 artists participating in the RMIT online exhibition 'The new (ab)normal'


Art is a universal language needed more than ever as radical changes hit our society, restricting our freedom and changing our life as we know it.

Art translates experiences across space and time, providing a sense of belonging and a deeper understanding, fuelled by the imagination of artists and their distinct ‘views’ of reality.

‘The new (ab)normal’ is the title of RMIT University’s first online exhibition ever, in which 40 artists, staff, students, alumni and industry partners present their creative pursuits in response to their new conditions during the pandemic.
Amongst those, is Greek visual artist, university professor, and PhD Candidate in the School of Art, Yiannis Galanopoulos, whose work, ‘Views from Ex-Patria’, provide a perspective from his balcony during lockdown where he experienced what was lost from the open world he once believed in.

Neos Kosmos reached out to Yiannis Galanopoulos who is spending the lockdown in his apartment in Abu Dhabi, to find out more about his experience as an expatriate, an artist, a husband and a father, during these difficult times.

‘Meltdown’. Digital Photograph (100X150cm) by Yiannis Galanopoulos. Photo: Supplied

“Being grounded was indeed a novel experience for me. For the past 12 years, I have travelled internationally about 5-6 times a year”, he tells us. “This is a lifestyle that is requested by my profession as an academic and a visual artist, but also a lifestyle our family life is based on, since all our relatives live in four different countries in Europe.

Having to forsake this essential component of my routine was challenging on both fronts. The way I enjoy exploring new creative practices in my art, I also revel in experiencing new places. Forcibly giving up my transient lifestyle, due to the virus, impacted negatively and positively my creative work and my mental well-being.”

“The pandemic impacted people in diametrically opposite ways”

During this time, Yiannis Galanopoulos, has worked more than he has ever done in his life.
“I split my time between teaching, doing research and taking care of our toddler son. As a matter of fact, there was no time for leisure at all. I often ponder how the pandemic impacted people in diametrically opposite ways, in accordance to their personal circumstances. While some may have suddenly been left with a tremendous amount of unused time, some others, like myself, felt that 24 hours in one day was not enough to complete all tasks.”

‘Shadow of Myself’. Digital Photograph (100X150cm) by Yiannis Galanopoulos. Photo: Supplied

“I created this blurred space of images that could exist anywhere and nowhere”

Fortunately, he tells us, the goal of creativity is to offer innovative solutions to creative problems. Like many other artists, Mr Galanopoulos used his balcony and the limited home studio space as a creative playground during the lockdown.

“All the pictures I could not make during the pandemic, I fathomed in my mind and in my digital light room. So I created this blurred space of images that could exist anywhere and nowhere. In between, geographic, represented ideal and bodily experienced space.”

‘Was there some sort of realisation that hit home from this experience?’ we ask him.

“Being human is what this human interaction is about. On a personal level I felt grateful for being able to do art and to enjoy the company of my wife and son. That’s a triumph really.”

“We are human beings with all our senses active and cannot be limited to a life depended only on our eyes and the virtual realm”

How can an online exhibition compare to a real live exhibition and how can we make up for the physical distance between artists, audience, students and their teachers. These are challenges experienced for the first time in the art world.

‘Tinning Street Experiment’ by Alison Bennett, participating artist in the online RMIT exhibition ‘The new (ab)normal’. Photo: rmitgallery.com

“I believe that to enjoy and share art, physical presence is a must. We are human beings with all our senses active and cannot be limited to a life depended only on our eyes and the virtual realm. Art brings all our senses into the relationship between the creator, all media and the audience, and that relationships can only fully happen in flesh and bones. That being said, virtual art is better than no art at all. I am so impressed by online platforms and interfaces that have flourished to nourish our creativity and interpersonal exchange.”

Mr Galanopoulos believes that art online, and online exhibitions, have the capacity to abolish space and time, hence enabling potential discoveries we would not have had access to in a physical setting.

“To maintain human contact, I believe live online sessions are an efficient option. I find that online conversations have an ease that short-term, in person encounters sometimes lack.”

Yiannis Galanopoulos family history is rooted in expatriation. Though his father was born in Patras and never left Greece to his death, his mother’s family was based in Egypt. His mother was a professional dancer, who toured the world with her dance company before settling in Greece. Mr Galanopoulos left his home in Patra in 1994, lived in several Greek cities before settling in the United States in 2008 for graduate studies. That is where he met his French – Italian wife, hence moving together to Paris, before dropping their suitcases in Abu Dhabi.

“In a peculiar manner, I also feel I have built roots wherever I have lived, and added some layers of these places to my identity”

“My connection to Greece is very strong. My ‘Greekness’ appears in my art and the way I speak all other languages. I eat Greek food, socialise with Greeks and raise our son Ermes in Greek. Yet in a peculiar manner, I also feel I have built roots wherever I have lived, and added some layers of these places to my identity. This is the whole purpose of my work on Expatria. I attempt to express, through images, the complexities of belonging to many places and no places at all. In that regard, I am from Australia as well, as I come to Melbourne and to RMIT often to present my research outcomes, meet my wonderful advisors and their families and plan my next research objective.”

Yiannis Galanopoulos is an assistant Professor of Visual arts and Design at Zayed University, and at RMIT he is a PhD candidate in Photography.

‘The new (ab)normal’ exhibition will be online until 28 August on RMIT Gallery’s website The New (ab)normal exhibition

Curated by RMIT Galleries Curator Helen Rayment and Lecturer in Arts Management Dr Tammy Wong Hulbert, the online exhibition was a way to give artistic expression to the new challenges and uncertainty faced by many of those in the visual art community. These creative responses reflect the reality of this period, giving us an insight into the personal, emotional and trans-formative.

Photo: rmitgallery.com