ARTIST’S STATEMENT

The light, golden and evocative of dawn, directs my gaze towards the ephemeral shapes and layers it forms, which are soon to be erased and consigned to the past. Time carves voids in space. Analogous to Greek architecture, where every structure is supported by columns and an empty space in-between them. Invisible yet present, space between these columns captivates and underpins my artistic practice. Fundamentally concerned with the interstitial space—the passage- I am urged to engage with the presence of absent bodies, bodies that inhabit absence and invisibility. The immigrant body, the female body, the abused, marginalized an toxic body—these are the entities that populate my artistic explorations. These bodies, neglected and marginalized, plunge into the void and, like Sisyphus, perpetually die only to be reborn. They walk and fall. They crawl. Social groups, subjugated by power dynamics, transform into social volumes that inhabit voids as they fall into invisibility. The emergence of these bodies from the void, whether in life or death, serves as a primary source of inspiration.

Within the realm of invisibility, there lies the potential to uncover identities and breathe freely, liberated from the concrete constraints imposed by systemic and political oppressions. It is within this void, akin to Kazimir Malevich's black square, that my projects germinate and develop.

Central to my work are existential concerns, notably ecological degradation and the desensitization of human emotions.

My artistic process is characterized by narration and hybrid documentation. Utilizing photography, film, and performance, I seek to convey and document these complex themes. I find resonance with the contemporary art movement of Walking Artists, particularly in their exploration of space, movement, and identity. The Anthropocene is the era which I am interested the most to travers and excavate.

Art invariably mirrors our experiences and our quest to transcend personal and societal boundaries. As a female artist navigating the confines of a traditional and patriarchal society, my work embodies these struggles, providing a space to confront, reflect, and reimagine the voids we occupy.

About

Kleopatra Haritou was born in Athens, Greece.

She studied Photography in NY as a senior student at Hastings-on-Hudson High School and was awarded by Pentaxx, in Athens and London at C.Saint Martins, acquiring her MA at GOLDSMITH’S College, under the supervision of the Historian of Photography, Ian Jeffrey. Her large scale solo exhibition “Prosfygika” - “The Refugee Settlements of Alexandra’s Av.”, was presented at BENAKI Museum, Athens and at the International Comics Festival, Athens, along with the original sketches of David Lloyd, “V for Vendeta”. She was voted by Greek population as best Photographer of the year (Athens Voice awards). 

Kleopatra has just completed her first film “IERA ODOS”, an essay film on the oldest road of Europe. The film "IERA ODOS" is a cinematographic exploration of the modern Sacred Road, one of Europe's most ancient roads. Inspired by the myth of Persephone, a legendary figure whose existence is shaped entirely by external forces - her husband, mother, and other humans - the film tracks a contemporary protagonist as she traverses the Sacred Rd. to bring forth Spring in the Anthropocene era. The distance between one end of the Sacred Road and the other symbolizes the intermediate space from the underworld (Kerameikos) to the surface of Earth (Eleusis). Through this journey, the woman embodies the road itself, shedding light on the obstacles and struggles that women encounter in their pursuit of autonomy and equality. The film, although still in progress, was projected at the closing ceremony of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture.

She is now preparing her new large edition “Entry-Exodus”, edited by the directer of Onassis Foundation (Stegi), Aphrodite Panayiotatou. The edition will be presented as a joint project with her first full-length documentary “Rest in pieces” (in progress/LongRun productions). The documentary deals with the Athenian burial landscape and the civil rights of the deceased. It is sponshoredd by the National Greek Film Center and ERT-National Television.

In 2016, she presented “ACROBATS”, ten photo-installations in public space, under Acropolis, during the financial crisis in Greece, commissioned by the Greek Ministry of Health. She worked drug addicts, homeless and sex workers mostly, living in Athens.

She has been collaborating for the past 25 years with cinematographers as a still photographer, including: Astra Taylor, Christopher Papakaliatis, Dennis Iliadis, Kostantinos Giannaris, Tasos Boulmetis, Dora Masklavanou and many other television directors.