| Description |
Published on the occasion of the exhibition held at Northern Print, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1 Feb. - 8 Mar. 2014.
Four Nations Capitals
Panayiotis Kalorkoti. Read the name, hear the speaking voice. How would you ever link the two, one ineffably Greek, the other unmistakably English? There is only one way: if you bear in mind that the man is British. You would certainly not have had that easy option fifty years ago. But now you will encounter such mystery mixes all the time. Tribal-scarred black faces combined with impeccable Oxbridge English accents; a cosy Glaswegian voice coming from a Sikh-turbaned head; a leading High Court barrister with a Chinese name and face. Once considered bizarre, such ideas now come close to the heart of Britishness. No wonder that Kalorkoti the artist (as well, obviously, as Kalorkoti the man) is fascinated by the idea and tries with considerable success to define it in his art. Define? Well, rather to evoke its will-o'-the-wisp transformations and transmigrations. That detail is clearly English. But next to it, that is surely Arab, or African, or Oriental. The cultural and ethnic melting-pot people speak of so glibly? Not in this vision, but rather separate-yet-together. Oh yes, inextricably together, today and tomorrow. And all the better for it.
John Russell Taylor |