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A groundbreaking comic anthology from 10 artists inspired by the iconic figure of Karagözis explores pressing contemporary socio-political issues with depth and creativity.
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Artists
My short story “From a Secret Admirer” shows the perspective of a visitor in the unique Athenian neighbourhood of Exarcheia. For me the colourful and chaotic atmosphere of this community is what made me consider making my comic about it. I was also inspired by the figures of the earliest years of Karagiozis for the visuals of the narrator that passes from page to page.
Starting from this visual and meaningful coexistence, the story is a personal interpretation of a series of current issues: the continuous shrinking of living space in the urban landscape (along with the inability to maintain a satisfactory standard of living), mental health problems (especially challenges for people who, while suffering from extreme social stress, at the same time have to deal with isolation and soul-crushing routine) and animal abuse (focusing on the abandonment and neglect of elderly and sick/disabled pets).
While learning about the character and tradition in Athens, I was also fascinated by the dependence on violence as the central method of resolving conflicts, so much so that the puppet of Karagiozis is designed with an elongated arm to allow the puppeteer more ease in slapping other puppets. Initially I perceived this as comical, but there was something dark about this centrality of violence, for which the elongated arm stood as a symbol.
I placed the protagonists in a free narrative-poem, titled “Doesn’t Matter”. This text is accompanying material for a better understanding and interpretation of the poem-comic. For the best and most complete experience, the reader is recommended to read the comic first and then the following text.
My story is inspired by the meaning that the word “karagiozis” has taken on in the modern Greek colloquial language. It is often used as an insult or to describe a morally unstable character. So these Karagiozides (plural) with their controversial moral code played their own songs in the tavern for one more evening.
I really like the different topics that the Karagiozis plays tackled. Most of them are socially orientated. So I thought to myself – how would the theatre look like if they continued to change and develop it…Thus I came up with the idea of having some future relative of Karagiozis talking to an AI.
There were four aspects from the Karagiozis Shadow Puppet theatre that I incorporated into my comic “Acteaon and Artemis”; the set design, the violence, the “slap” and the character of Hadjiavatis. This was a chance to bring in the violence/state violence that is often present in the Karagiozis plays. The buildings and their skewed perspective are directly inspired by the set designs, as well as my wanderings through Athens.
In my comic ‘’A prayer to our Mother’’, I decided to focus on the impending issue of climate change. Hugely inspired by the documentary ‘’Kiss the Ground’’, I creatively incorporate elements of the shadow puppet theatre to weave a new narrative. Here, Karagiozis assumes the role of the sole narrator, employing heartfelt words to portray the Earth as the ultimate mother archetype.
Through my comic, I wanted to explore the themes of the fool and stupidity. Through the character of Karagiozis I want to show the capacity of the fool and show him as a wanderer, not suppressed by everyday life, commodity and conventions.
I approached Karagiozis from the view of the Karagioz puppeteer during the early days of the first puppet plays. My story talks about what influence the play could have on people even in the early days of entertainment, because the viewer personifies himself through the puppet character.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only
and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or [name of the granting authority]. Neither
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