Christina Anagnostou

Multi-media artist based in London. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, the artist has had training in academic painting and is a graduate fine art student from Print & Time-Based Media at Wimbledon College of Arts. Growing up in the internet age, the artist empties her mind on the table and lets the audience piece it back together.The use of rich visuals and oversaturated colours are fundamental to the aesthetic of the work, applied on sets, characters, costumes and creative direction. Her art practice revolves around the playfulness of virtual identity, creating personas and cyborgs. These are translated through surrealism and post humanism, collaging different elements and bringing them in today’s world. Stretching from painting to moving image and 3D animation (video, installation), the intention behind each artwork is to construct/ build an immersive experience and they have been reviewed as humorous/satirical but also sometimes contemplative. Digested popular culture has been a prominent source of inspiration, from memes to pop culture icons and cult classic films, the artist pastiches them all in one form.

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR ROUTE TO YOUR CURRENT ARTISTIC PRACTICE?

I knew from an early age that I wanted to be creative and it felt only natural to do art so I gave it a go. I was trained in academic painting with charcoal and acrylics to apply for the Fine Art school in Athens. Painting though felt confining for me so I decided to study in London to expose myself to different mediums and cultures. The journey to shape my artistic identity was full of experimentation, spanning from printmaking and painting, stone carving to now digital animation and film making. Technology had always fascinated me and having to work from home was the push I needed to start working digitally.

Q: CAN YOU IDENTIFY ANY ELEMENTS OF YOUR COMMUNITY OR COLLABORATORS THAT HAVE HAD A STRONG INFLUENCE?

I like to consider all my friends my collaborators because they have contributed to the formation of the identity I have now through the experiences and memories we have had together. I have always been surrounded by a community of other creatives like musicians, art directors, fashion designers and other artists with whom I actively exchange ideas and collaborate on projects which has pushed me to evolve and try new things.

Q: HOW IS YOUR PROJECT TIED TO THE CIRCA X DAZED CLASS OF 20:21 THEME OF ‘COMMUNION’?

‘I am you, you are me’ gives the machine the choice to create from all that is important to me: powerful human connections. Through an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, I fed into the machine images of my friends and family that represent the intimate spiritual experiences I have with them, and let the machine create a blend of all these influences. In this way a new aspect of communion is created, a dynamic exchange between humanity and technology, transcending the bodily function of emotions and spirituality.

Q: HOW WOULD THE CIRCA PRIZE OF £30,000 IMPACT YOUR FUTURE PRACTICE?

It would help me get the equipment I need to continue working on digital art making and aim for more high end productions and bigger projects.

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