Exhibition in Forest Hill London

Following invisible lines guided by the wind, using the earths’ magnetic field, the stars, the land and their memory, swallows, storks and turtle doves have for centuries embarked on perilous journeys migrating across continents and oceans on a quest to find warmth, food and breeding grounds. How they find their way has long been a mystery, digressing from flyways risks death and they have been known to find themselves in unknown territory, what is not understood is whether this is a simple mistake, a purposeful act, or an innovative desire of exploration.

Through Christakos’ paint stitches and Aloysius’ drawing both artists speak of home, remembered migrations and journeys taken in a rapidly expanding global land. They mourn the loss of cultural habitats and explore the political cartographical wounds left behind by global capitalism. On the other hand there is a juxtaposition of nostalgic reminiscence and adverse destruction woven through the works via a process of mixing media, line and colour. As with the mystery of ‘wayward’ swallows, as viewers we find our own way through the thoughts of these two ‘journeying’ men, an internal subjective or outward exploration that points towards a regeneration or a reinvention of hybrid or nomadic existence.

Reginald Aloysius’s mixed media work explores themes of globalisation and modernisation. Detailed drawings of his native South Indian Hindu temples are examples of Dravidian architecture looming out from the undergrowth, overlaid with aircraft flight plans carved into the polished wood surface; a scarring that mirrors the irreparable change that an evolving society can have on ancient tradition. By adding highly textural randomised blooms of oil paint and pigmented rice dust he adds colours reminiscent of Sri Lankan landscape, an expression of life love and freedom of action.

Christakos’ work is informed by architectural drawings, city maps, satellite pictures, computer graphics and a left wing political stance, challenging the significance of subjectivity and political gain evident through cartography practice. Through his use of threads we are reminded that Christakos is also inspired by growing up in the house of a tailoress, his mother, whose work embellished his home with threads, strings and abundance of needles, pins and stitches. The ‘personalised’ maps speak of an ideal space or a mapping of emotion, life experience, layers of passion and internal journeying. Shapes reminiscent of land and sea create collages from fragmented observations while a familiar spinning thread points towards a direction-less or chaotic journey ahead.