Georgia Kotretsos is returning “home” temporarily to present an installation for YAP 2003 (Young Artists’ Project 2003) from July 8 at 18h00 to July 27 in the Multimedia Room at the NSA Galleries. The project is made possible with funding by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.

A graduate from the Technikon Natal Fine Arts Department in 2000, an opportunity has presented itself to invite her back for a short stint from the USA, where she is currently completing her Masters in Fine Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Durban whilst living here, as well as projects in the US including Art-o-Mat, as an “artist in cellophane” for a vending machine art project in New York.

Gerogia Kotretsos concerns herself with the old adage of conceptual practice – to investigate and challenge the public art display institutions and the autonomy of art objects. This is done through “playful” interventions where the audience is seen as an integral part of the conceptualisation of the artwork. Her aim thus is to make audience specific work rather than site-specific work.

She states that: “Locating my audience augments towards conveying desirable meaning. Myths of globalisation have left me (based on experience) rearticulating and narrowing the exaggeration to capitalist and non-parts of the world. Having encountered the socio-economic schism (SA/USA) highlights the importance of my deliberations, suggesting/implying the weakness within art and its ability to convey meaning globally.”