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Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva was born in Macedonia but has lived and worked in the UK for eighteen years. She graduated from the GSA, Glasgow in 1996 and the RCA, London in 1998. The fact that a large percentage of her country of origin is forest is reflected in an artistic practice which has the immediacy of nature as a significant element. With an original intensity and richness Hadzi-Vasileva's work exposes the relationships between the human and naturally occurring landscapes. Hadzi-Vasileva's ArtSway and Forestry Commission work 'Ambush' for The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive in 2000 delved deep into the root systems of living trees, allowing viewers an opportunity to see the world from below ground. The subterranean experience of 'ambush', rather than unlocking the mysteries of the under-world, resonated with the raw smells, oozing dampness and "crackling noise" of nature. 'Motectum' for Gloucester Cathedral in 2009, also richly evocative of another world, used the structure of Thomas Tallis's (1505-1585) remarkable 40-voice 'Spem in Alium' for a 40-speaker sound installation in the Cathedral cloisters. Comprising individual songs of indigenous birds matched with individual voices singing Gregorian chants, each liquid sound merged and dissolved with its neighbour as visitors passed between. For the opening night performance Mitra Memarzia wore an elegant, golden ball-gown made out of preserved chicken skins which was testament to both that which we protect and preserve and that which we discard. The use of unusual materials, such as chicken and fish skins, butter and rice, and new methods of working, which are often founded on traditional, work-intensive techniques, are the result of thorough research into particular places, especially those not normally encountered. Research into the dramatic landscape of Kielder Forest, for example, resulted in a watercress 'Road to Nowhere' which followed the submerged road which connected the flooded villages of a man-made lake. Hadzi-Vasileva's solo exhibitions include
'We Are Shadows' at Unit2',Whitechapel in London, 'Butterflies in
the Stomach' at l'H du Siege in Valenciennes, 'Kilmainham Gaol Museum'
in Dublin and 'Resort' for Fabrica in Brighton. She was shortlisted
for the Spitalfields Sculpture Prize in 2009-10 and the Jerwood
Sculpture Prize in 2001 and has received numerous awards, including
the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award in 2002. These have enabled
her to travel as far afield as Canada and the USA. In 2009 she was
awarded a grant by the European Cultural Foundation to travel to
Macedonia with Dr Fiona Dean to share ideas between Macedonia and
Scotland. For Art and Sacred Places Hadzi-Vasileva worked with St Bede's Catholic College on the Bristol City Council Building Schools for the Future programme. |
