Danai Anesiadou: Parasite Lost — Gallery Show

dépendance, Brussels, BE

By Maxime Foucquet

September 19, 2024

From September 13 until October 31, dépendance presents “Parasite Lost – Gallery Show,” the first solo exhibition of Danai Anesiadou at the gallery in Brussels. The exhibition showcases Anesiadou’s exploration of themes surrounding expulsion, release, and self-discovery. Through a series of convoluted works, Anesiadou examines the process of letting go, aiming to purge the obstructive and invite enlightenment, encapsulating the idea that true paradise is a state of being discovered within oneself.

The centerpiece of the exhibition, the series “Voice to Skull,” comprises 98 collages discussing the dualities of perception and reality, unveiling and revelation. Anesiadou integrates diverse visual references, from luxury marketing and film posters to pop culture and remnants of her past performances, to create ambiguous icons that play with viewer perceptions. The series challenges the audience to explore the unsettling yet fascinating interplay between beauty and distortion, foreground and background, reflecting on the power of imagery and psychological manipulation in shaping human thought.

In a more immersive installation, a video titled “Ja Pan, Nee Pot” is displayed inside a functioning oven accompanied by a scented, boiling pot. This piece combines random footage from Japan with various objects, including a folded rug and Swarovski stones, inviting viewers on a journey to uncover the magic in mundane everyday moments and reflecting on the inherent artistry in all actions.

Adjacent to the main exhibition space, Anesiadou presents four paintings, a continuation of her artistic exploration through different mediums. These works are born from her previous series of vacuum sculptures, translating three-dimensional forms back into two-dimensional paintings in response to their mysterious disappearance following an exhibition in Mexico. This transition not only resurrects the lost artworks but also critiques the conventional dynamics of art production and gallery representation.

For more information, please visit the dependance’s website here.