From ancient Greece to Sartre: Katerina talks inspiration, process and practice

Our annual MA Show showcases an exciting variety of work by emerging and established artists and designers, who have undertaken postgraduate study with us.

To celebrate the show, we'll be focusing on some of our favourite pieces from this year's exhibition, as well as the opinions and experiences of the students that have created them.

In this instalment, MFA Fine Art student Katerina Eleftheriadou talks influences, approaches to artistic reflection and her time on the course so far. 

Katerina’s influences stretch from ancient Greece to today’s progressive politics

‘I was born in Germany in 1989 in times of a series of radical political changes, and spent my childhood in Greece where I was educated and took influence from ancient Greek heritage. At home, we had the habit to read philosophy and poetry, while the ideas and political views were progressive.

All those things, and many more, shaped me into the adult I am today and there are echoes and memories that are reflected in my practice.

It is a broad truth that each work is significantly frames within a particular historical context of production, but at the same time I feel it is beneficial to me to be able to identify that, and try to understand whatever sense of meaning my work may have.’

Her reflective process considers herself, the world around her and current history as it’s being written

‘When I need to reflect on the work I am doing, I feel I have to write about my wider general thoughts related to life and how I perceive it. I find it is of great importance how I position myself within and in relationship to my own times.

Since each person by Jean Paul Sartre’s definition is an absolute upsurge and an absolute date and we are not district from our epoch, I consider that we are what our times are.

I engage myself with this thought and I agree with Sartre when he writes that one is profoundly responsible for the epoch that exists. As Nikos Kazantzakis on The Saviour of God wrote:

“Love responsibility. Say: it is my duty, and mine alone, to save the earth. If it is not saved, then I alone am to blame.”’

Her postgraduate experience has given her work a more ‘ambitious, determined and strong character’

‘Throughout my first year on the course, I have deeply questioned the nature of my practice and feel it has grown on many levels. The work itself has established a more ambitious, determined and strong character.

My presence at Manchester School of Art influenced me and inspired me, and I see that the outcome is as good as I wished.

I witnessed an exciting journey the work followed with the guidance of teaching staff. Little by little, day by day, my practice and the thinking process around it evolved. I feel I have successfully completed a circle and am ready to continue on the second year the course. I would confidently say that this multileveled input improved me not only as an artist, but also as a human being’

You can see Katerina's work at our MA Show until 8 October. To find out more information about the show, its opening times and to view other students' work visit: www.art.mmu.ac.uk/mashow/

You can also find out more about Katerina and her work on her website at: www.cargocollective.com/katerinaeleftheriadou