We are happy about the artist’s agreement to visit Berlin for the opening of his solo show. Besides the pictures, the artist himself has a lot of interesting things to tell. The understanding and the detailed exploration of the great stories of ancient Greek mythology are encoded in the 14 prints of the exhibition — but become really vivid when Vassilis tells us about the ideas and images that lie in the cradle of European art and culture.
During a walk through Berlin, we talked about examples in which we may recognize archetypes and universally valid human behaviors, as described by Greek mythology, between Alexanderplatz and Ostkreuz.
Gregor: Welcome to Kaffeemitte, Vassilis Konstantinou! What is this show all about? Can you describe the concept of Eros and Thanatos?
Vassilis: I started delving into this topic after reading Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle. It got me thinking that Eros (Love) and Thanatos (Death) aren’t opposites but two sides of the same coin. What really grabbed my attention were those moments when they fused together, becoming one. There are plenty of examples that hint at this connection. Take, for instance, the fleeting loss of consciousness during orgasm, which echoes the permanence of death. It’s intriguing that the French even call the orgasm Petite Mort. Additionally, the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Romeo and Juliet, in which love passes through death. Beyond that, I found myself drawn to the power of Greek myths that weave Eros and Thanatos into their stories. So, I tried to capture these moments by creating a series of symbolic and perhaps enigmatic pictures.
We left Kaffeemitte and walked in the direction of Alexanderplatz. We stopped below the „Pressecafé“ and looked from Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse across the intersection, towards the East. It’s the centre of former GDR, the huge mosaic on the walls still shows the aesthetics of those years.
Gregor: We passed some hip stores and we saw teenagers waiting in a long queue, trying to buy a pair of limited edition sneakers. Can these people be a link to one of your pictures? In the photo „The Bacchae“ there is a head with an iconic leaf garland. The title comes from the eponymous Greek drama. Why are people so dedicated to a pair of shoes that they run after them like a group of Bacchae?
Vassilis: Euripides tells us about the organized cult of Dionysus. And as with all great myths, the drama is about universally valid principles. In the case of the Bacchae it’s about an extreme appearance of trance. The Maenads, that is, the „followers of Dionysus,“ run into the mountains at night, go hunting and eat raw meat. The ecstasy that arises when you get hold of a pair of sneakers is properly not so much the spiritual, anarchic energy described in the Myth. But there are parallels nonetheless. People still gather in groups today and these groups have their symbols, their cult objects. According to the description, there was ecstatic trance, even perversion and this led to the implicit rejection of state practice and state values in general.
Gregor: Alternative life — the rejection of state practice for some — and the desire for ecstasy have certainly attracted several people to the city. How does the drama by Euripides end? Is there anything contemporary followers of Dionysus should know?
Vassilis: Certainly, individuals often try to go beyond what we call „just being themselves.“ Some people use conventional methods like meditation, while others, like the Bacchae, go for something a bit more unconventional. During my time in Berlin, I got the feeling that the city is a haven of freedom. People come here expecting to find a way to break free from their usual selves and they are accepted by being themselves.
We walk on towards Strausberger Platz. We pass more examples of GDR design, passing Haus des Lehrers. Opposite, at the Haus der Statistik, we see scaffolding. Vassilis is surprised that decades after the fall of the Wall, construction is still going on in such a prominent place. We walk by the Kino International and Cafe Moskau. In Karl-Marx-Allee we move into one of the building entrances because it started to rain. Vassilis notices the columns that decorate many of the houses in the street. They are buildings in the so-called „Zuckerbäcker“ style — an example of socialist classicism from the 1950s.
Vassilis: These are typical Doric columns, you can see them similar in Metapont and on many other temples in Greece and Italy. The materials, and the whole feel of this street, are based on the beauty ideal from the ancient Greeks and Romans. One finds this principle in the symbols too, i.e. in the themes depicted on the mosaics — even if implemented in a more modern way. A beautiful harmonious world with workers like Demeter, scholars like Prometheus and of course Apollo, the god of the arts. In a quite organized manner also Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy has his place. The oversized proportions of this road suggest that something epic was planned.
It has stopped raining and we reach Friedrichshain. We walk past a squatted house and I tell Vassilis about the punk culture that was once at home in Friedrichshain.
Gregor: When I moved to Friedrichshain 20 years ago, most of these houses were gray and many stores were closed. You saw punks everywhere, there were many squatted houses and that gave the neighborhood a nice aura of freedom. It was like a big playground, empty lots and wasteland everywhere. The downside was that I had a coal oven and you practically couldn’t get anything proper to eat. In the evening, the streets were poorly lit and large bushes grew along the sidewalks. When my aunt from Munich visited me once, she was scrounged for a cigarette by two punks. When my aunt politely said she didn’t have one, the punks shouted at her to fuck off! That’s one of those moments I don’t necessarily miss.
Vassilis: A great rebel, Princess Antigone struggled with the question of whether people should follow the law or their conscience. She defied King Creon when it came to whether her brother Polyneikes should be given a proper burial. Antigone is committed to divine law, while Creon embodies state law. The play’s author, Sophocles, addresses morality, whose power extends across all areas of human life. An inner voice can lead people to violate laws. And Sophocles also addressed the fact that man can act not only good, but also evil. However, if he does so within the framework of the law, he is still respected. The drama „Antigone“ ends in a catastrophe: Antigone hangs herself.
Gregor: If Friedrichshain used to be Antigone 20 years ago and now Creon is getting stronger, will it end in a catastrophe?
Vassilis: The play is probably too complex for that. Because Creon sees that Antigone was right with her rebellion. But unfortunately too late! What we can learn from this for a city is perhaps that neither one nor the other should become too dominant. A police state is not worth living in, but if, for example, security is no longer ensured by the state, so if, for example, your aunt feels threatened, then it is also not good. But I have the hope that Friedrichshain and Berlin as a whole will find a good balance in the future.
Gregor: Thank you Vassilis for this interesting conversation. The title of your exhibition and the conversation today leave me with the realization that the ancient Greeks actually recommended that we always consider both sides of the coin. That it is much more about seeking a balance between the different pairs of opposites. Death and love, rebellion and conformity, or emotional and rational.
