10 Questions with Alexandra Taoukidou

Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine ISSUE17 | Featured Artist

Alexandra Taoukidou is an artist born in 1999 in Thessaloniki, Greece. She graduated from the Visual & Applied Arts Fine Arts Department - AUTH in 2022, where she completed her MFA in excellence, specializing in painting. She lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland. She also has been running several art classes and projects.

alexandrataoukidou.com | @alexandra_taou

ARTIST STATEMENT

Space and its mutations are the main themes of Alexandra Taoukidou's visual practice. The "BOXES SERIES" consists of three-dimensional constructions. The artist translates the spaces into the third dimension through scale models enclosed in wooden boxes. The mediums used vary, such as paper, plastic, metal, fabric, etc., and the scenes represented are part of memory where reality blends with imaginary scenery. The enclosed maquette, as a "curious" space, is a reference to the "Curiosity Boxes" of the 16th century. Renaissance collections offered a key to the pre-scientific effort to understand the world. The primary perception of size signifies the apparent reality of objects. A mountain, for example, is gigantic in scale and, therefore, impossible to observe in total up close. The size of a dollhouse, on the other hand, provides us the ability to arrange and control life there. This quality enhances our fascination towards the miniature world. In the boxes, curiosity is identified with the contrived optics of the keyhole. The viewer takes the role of an explorer, as he is invited to observe their interior through various distorting (and non-) lenses.

BOXES SERIES | Project Statement

The artwork titled Windows is a part of "BOXES SERIES". On its outer shell, we observe a metal structure that supports a wooden box enclosing a maquette. A distorting lens (biconvex) is placed on one side, inviting visitors to look through it. The scale model shapes a derelict space where abandonment, liminality, and the feeling of void characterize it. An illusion effect is created as if air blows within the space, making the curtains move through a special mechanism. Those elements reinforce a sense of curiosity, mystification, and revisal.

AL-TIBA9 ART MAGAZINE ISSUE17

INTERVIEW

Let's start from the basics. When did you first become interested in art, and what motivated you to pursue a career in this field? 

I have been creating since I was little. Drawing was not my only interest since I would always take advantage of every creative opportunity, including making crafts, gifts, jewelry, etc. Luckily, my family recognized this passion quickly. They would always provide me with tools and equipment. I started drawing classes at the age of six. Around the age of fifteen, I started academic drawing in an artist's studio. That was my initial attempt to pursue getting into Fine Arts University. I was confident with my pursuits, although unaware of how everything would work out in the future. An art career fosters connections with like-minded individuals, creating networks of inspiration, collaboration, and support within artistic communities.

How did your academic journey influence your practice, and who were some of your key mentors or inspirations during this time?

Reflecting then, I considered getting into Fine Arts as my biggest achievement after a few unsuccessful trials. I was very excited and prepared to be fully dedicated. I tried to absorb every aspect of this academic journey. Mentoring began a few years before university, during a period of preparation. My tutor at that time, a Greek artist named Savvas Poursanidis, was the one who introduced me to academic drawing. I still admire his way of thinking, skills, experience, and aesthetics. His commitment and loyalty to his art throughout the years are fascinating. Closer to the end of my academic journey, my studio professor, Vali Nomidou, had a crucial role in my practice, putting all her efforts towards our artistic growth and visual language escalation. 

You are originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, but live in Zurich, Switzerland. What motivated your move to Zurich, and how has living and working in such a different environment impacted your artistic approach?

My hometown has clearly shaped my artistic practice. I would consider my work experiential, involving a journal-like element. I easily get inspired by my surroundings and incorporate them into what I pursue. I have been living in Zurich for the past two years now. I am convinced that staying in Thessaloniki would not benefit my practice or aspirations. Greece has indeed a vibrant and flourishing art scene, although the current financial conditions are not reliable, especially if you are interested in the field of Arts. Zurich is an amazing capital of arts, the birthplace of Dada, and contains excellent art collections and art museums. Being able to familiarize myself with these has been amazing. As an artist, accessing and emerging myself in this world is truly magical. Considering my works themselves, the impact was apparent earlier than the actual move, during the period of transition. It was when I became quite interested in the matter of liminality, transition, and the feeling of home in its transformation. "Spaces Series" was created. The impact lies beyond my artistic approach as it affected the frequency of my practice. I started working in education and found myself having difficulty balancing everything out. Comparing these periods of time, I can say that the change seemed gigantic, considering that moving abroad took place such a short time after graduating. While studying, the sense of community and opportunity for engagement with colleagues was apparent. I consider these elements crucial and was surprised when I had to rebuild an artistic network from scratch. 

As you mention in your statement, space and its mutations are central to your work. What initially drew you to explore this theme, and how do you define "space" in the context of your practice?

The first series of works that were wired to this theme was titled "Backstage", created in 2021. These small-scale pencil drawings initiated my current drawing practice. As I was studying scenography at that time, my visits backstage in theaters were frequent. I was fascinated by all the secret language that flows between the people of this industry. The backstage world is relatively unseen and inaccessible to external visitors. I was interested in changing the narrative and placing the space itself as a protagonist. This idea extended to the depiction of more spaces with similar characteristics, such as museum or exhibition rooms, industrial places, and warehouses. To enhance this connection, I chose the absence of human presence in my drawings. The exact definition of space in the context of my art practice often varies and transforms according to the series of works or periods. Certain firm elements rely on the experience of a human presence. Any figure is deducted and replaced by the viewer of the work. Apart from the "easy to recognize" walled space that involves backstage or museum rooms, this theme took other forms as well. It reached the matter of liminal space, which often refers to a condition. Liminality became crucial to my drawings. It defines an in-between, transitional period that is either literal or metaphorical. Currently, the analogy within the term "space", is more about the ones we used to live in or our current residences: those which we recognize as home and any relocation we might have experienced. Recent related works like the "Relocation Project" (2024) also contain pencil drawings that are significantly bigger in scale in comparison to the "Backstage" (2021).

Let's talk about the Boxes Series. The reference to 16th-century Curiosity Boxes is fascinating. Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind the series? 

The "Boxes Series" draws inspiration from 16th-century cabinets of curiosities, reflecting their profound interplay of mystery, symbolism, and exploration. Much like these historical cabinets, my work seeks to encapsulate a microcosm within a confined space, inviting viewers to engage with themes of perspective, scale, and hidden narratives. As curiosity boxes blurred the lines between nature and art, reality and imagination, this series explores the boundaries of perception, allowing viewers to encounter a miniature yet immersive world. This interplay echoes the Renaissance aspiration to comprehend and symbolize the unity of the cosmos through carefully curated microcosms.

What role do curiosity and memory play in your creative process?

Memory play indicates the relation with our self, everything that holds a significant or insignificant place in our minds. First, I often recall and withdraw fragments of it to use in my art practice. This involves uncertainty about how truthful the final object turns out, as it resonates with the way we choose to remember and chronicle. Secondly, as numerous works serve as a personal journal, elements of narrative and recordings still apply, although the chronology varies. The first condition mentioned refers to memory being carried to the present, in comparison to the second one, where I consciously choose to document and treasure the present. 

Your work delves into the fascination with miniatures. What does creating and exploring these scaled-down realities reveal to you about human perception and control?

My initial scale models were mainly for set design purposes. There are plenty of tasks to be followed and pre-planned elements that need to be taken into consideration in scenography. I consider the creation of "BOXES SERIES" a liberation towards that and a state of experimentation - an attempt at minding the gap between the miniature world and drawing, bringing it closer to the field of Fine Arts. Creating miniatures surely highlights a sense of manipulation in a tiny world. Even physically playing using a torch or any artificial source of light can completely change the view of a scene. In addition, selecting a single view that will be displayed to a visitor, even though we refer to a three-dimensional space, holds a lot of power. I believe this element contributes to raising interest and curiosity to discover further. 

Your work incorporates diverse materials like paper, metal, and fabric. Can you walk us through the technical process of creating one of your boxes, such as "Windows"?

This body of work, titled "BOXES SERIES," requires hands-on artistic expertise with various materials. I have been experimenting with different potential constructions and ended up selecting the creation of a solid wooden black box. It contains two different constructions, the box itself and the enclosed maquette. Initially, I worked on the scale model and, later, the box and how they would be perfectly aligned. It all starts with the main idea, the perception of a space or room. This requires the selection of a certain frame and deciding which perspective of the place the audience is going to view.Sketches and drawings are being made, which lead to an ideal result. Afterward, I created an architectural design of the three-dimensional scale model by hand and moved on to the construction. For the "Windows" maquette, I have mostlyused paper and cards as the foundation. Since there is a distorting lens placed on every box, I experimented with the composition and the selection of an appropriate lens according to its size and the distortion it makes. I have been learning about different lenses and their characteristics according to their ratio and metrics. I initiate a drawing-like presence, tones from white to black. This is why all the surfaces or walls of the maquette are drawn on top or layered using pencil and graphite. It is important to note that there is no source of natural light in the box. Thus, when the maquette is nearly finalized, I place LED lights on the surface of the inside walls of the box. In "Windows", they are creating the effect of a light coming from outdoors.  Another surprising fact is that I've included a small fan, creating the illusion that air is blowing on the curtains. This required plenty of experimentation to decide its final location so it would not be visible from any possible viewing angle. There is a power bank to power it up. Let's move on to the actual box construction. Architectural designs are being made, including any necessary measurements, and the wood (MDF) is cut. I use wood glue and nails to assemble it. Regarding the placement of the lens, a circular cut is made on the side. There are also some metal components there to support the lens as it is supplied as a single glass object. Its outer surface is painted, thoroughly sandpapered, and varnished. The construction of the metal base is a commission as I do not work with metal yet.  Finally, all the components are combined for the final result.

How do you envision the viewer engaging with your work, especially given your use of distorting lenses and the keyhole effect? What emotions or thoughts do you aim to evoke?

I was glad to present this series of work in my diploma exhibition, where I had the opportunity to observe the audience's reactions. Elements such as engagement and synergy were evident as the work invites the viewer to step close to it. I really enjoy this playful interaction. I consider the represented scenes characterized by familiarity. On the other hand, the uncommon synthesis of factors such as the keyhole effect, light placement, and miniature scale spark curiosity and wonder. 

What are you currently working on, and how do you see your practice evolving in the future? Are there any themes or mediums you're excited to explore next?

I was grateful to have attended two artist residencies recently. The first took place in the South of France in October 2024, where the "Relocation Project" started to evolve. I am confident that I will continue this series soon. Right after, I flew to Guadalajara, Mexico, in November 2024. I was truly inspired by the color displayed publicly in urban colonial housing and all their architectural elements. This led to creating an unexpected experimental series, "Shapes & Structures," of small-scale works using color pigments on paper. They serve mainly as playful notes, such as an abstract documentation of urban scenes. These two series took place one right after the other. They contributed to the production of entirely different artworks. I am not sure yet what these cultural experiences hold for my practice in the future. Regarding my artistic aspirations, I want to experiment after concluding some works first. I love the subtlety of drawing on paper, although installation and three-dimensional works surely spark exploration.

Lastly, where do you see yourself and your work five years from now? 

Five years from now, I envision myself continuing to grow and evolve as an artist while balancing my passion for art education. Constant development and refining of my artistic vision further whilst exploring new techniques and materials is fundamental. Having a dedicated studio space is an essential part of this vision, providing the creative freedom and focus necessary for deeper experimentation and production. In addition, I hope to re-engage with the field of art didactics. My experience in pedagogy has always been a significant influence. By bridging the gap between art practice and education, I aim to create a dynamic relationship where both fields enrich and inspire each other.