Vicky Tsalamata is a visual artist born in Athens, Greece. She is Professor Emeritus in Printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Her creative endeavors encompass expanded printmaking, digital media, print installations, and video installations. Tsalamata’s work has been showcased in numerous solo exhibitions in museums, universities, and institutions across Greece, Europe, the U.S.A., and in different international print biennials and triennials. She has served as an invited commissioner and jury member in various international print competitions and has participated as a guest artist in different residencies and art symposiums. Her artwork has received international prizes and awards.
One of Tsalamata’s notable works, titled “Awareness,” delves into the intricate interplay of momentum, flow, speed, and awareness. This piece encapsulates the perpetual flow of time and the frenetic pace of contemporary life, drawing from Heraclitus’s notion that “everything flows, nothing stays the same.” Her work underscores the constant motion and change inherent in life, likening it to a river whose waters are in ceaseless movement.
“Awareness” is a video installation featuring four video projections. These videos depict sequences of rapid flows in a violent, pulsating motion, symbolizing the relentless pace of modern life. The projections are cast onto four graphic works digitally printed on semitransparent fabric, allowing the images to be seen from both the front and rear of the installation. This duality emphasizes the omnipresence and inevitability of change.
For many years, Tsalamata’s work has visually addressed social concerns related to human relationships. These relationships, as described by sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, are often fluid and short-lived. Tsalamata explores themes such as migration, displacement, multiculturalism, economic and ecological crises, and the contemporary mental trauma caused by sudden epidemics. Her art reflects the transient and often chaotic nature of our lives, highlighting the need for awareness and understanding.
In recent years, Tsalamata has witnessed a series of wildfires that ravaged her homeland, destroying villages, forests, and ecosystems. She has also observed devastating floods that swallowed lives and wreaked havoc on the environment and economy. These events are part of a chain of dystopian conditions exacerbated by the actions of highly developed economies driven by greed and a lack of awareness.
The core of Tsalamata’s work is the concept of flow in relation to speed. This combination generates momentum, a key element in understanding contemporary society’s dynamics. Her work conceptually and formally examines the perpetual flow of time and the momentum in modern life, emphasizing the need for awareness in making timely decisions to address social and ecological problems.
Awareness, in Tsalamata’s view, goes beyond mere observation. It involves a fundamental process of acquainting oneself with what one perceives. In both philosophy and psychology, awareness is about discovering and understanding facts and events. Different types of awareness exist, such as informal awareness, which is a sense of who is around us and what they are doing, and social awareness, which pertains to our knowledge of social or conversational contexts.
On an international level, public awareness of climate change suggests that most people view it as an urgent issue. Since environments are in a state of constant change, maintaining awareness requires continuously updating one’s knowledge. This ongoing process is achieved through interaction with the environment. The increasing frequency of natural disasters and environmental damage around the world has made these issues a major concern for societies globally.
The concepts of momentum, awareness, and constant flow are interconnected in Tsalamata’s work. She believes that understanding these ideas is crucial for addressing the challenges posed by today’s fast-paced world. By highlighting the perpetual flow of time and the urgency of awareness, Tsalamata’s art encourages viewers to consider their role in the broader context of societal and environmental changes.
Vicky Tsalamata’s work is a profound exploration of the themes of flow, speed, and awareness. Through her video installations and digital prints, she captures the essence of modern life’s relentless pace and the need for heightened awareness. Her art serves as a reminder of the ever-changing nature of our world and the importance of staying informed and aware to make meaningful decisions.
