Family, 2006
(Acrylic paint on plate)

Born and brought up in Greece, Eleni Bagaki has lived and worked in London for the past decade. Since graduating with an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, she has had two solo shows, in London and Greece, and has exhibited as part of group shows in Switzerland, Norway, Bulgaria and Latvia. For the past couple of years her art has focused on personal investigation and representation, and studying elements that constitute the self. “I look at the fundamental factors that form someone’s identity such as family, friends and ethnicity,” she explains. Incorporating into her work characteristics and elements from her Greek upbringing, Bagaki questions our preconceptions and cultural stereotypes. “I explore my cultural inheritance and its significance in a contemporary multicultural environment.” Bagaki feels her work is characterised by a nostalgic feeling for values that have lost their significance in contemporary society. “In my work there is a strong sense of dislocation. It investigates and interrelates personal history and representation.” Although Bagaki employs a variety of media in her art, she frequently uses objects from everyday life. “I’m interested in how these common artefacts can be translated into art. I am also concerned with identity issues such as the significance given to these objects, and what that can reveal of someone’s personality.”

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