My approach
as an art teacher.
What does
it mean to teach art? Does the student need necessarily to be talented, in
order to follow an art class? Can someone be too old or too young to be an art
student?
I have
always believed that art addresses to everyone, or should address to everyone.
No matter the age or technique abilities, anyone can be initiated to the
world of artistic creation and feel the joy of expression.
In the
studio/atelier
Regarding
to my approach as an art teacher, the most important is to make the student
feel that he/she is the artist. Once he steps in the classroom/atelier,
he gets his personal time and space to create. It’s the right place to feel
like yourself.
A
lesson, a voyage
Together,
we start a voyage through the history of art and the human creation, an
opportunity to get to know ourselves and the other. A wide range of themes and
exercises introduces us to famous –and less famous- artists, contemporary ones,
or old masters! We learn new techniques, discover new materials, develop
capacities, even discover capacities you never knew you had! Little by little,
each one finds his own tendencies, personal taste and style.
Themes
and inspiration
My
interaction with my students is the best source of inspiration. I remain always
open to hear their expectations and thoughts. An interesting conversation, a
personal story, an unexpected gesture on a student work, can bring the best
ideas for the next project. My personal theme/exercise archive remains always
open, flexible and gets updated non stop. Our close environment, or the world
in a wider sense, nature, the city, technology, our everyday life, our habits,
our senses and sentiments, our memories, are some of the numerous subjects
proposed.
Critical
mind – art and real life.
Working on
a painting, or on any art-project is always a matter of making choices. Or, let
me rephrase it, following a path of right and wrong choices to finally create
something on our own-exactly as in real life. Does this color, this line, this
material, this technique work? Does it deliver what I have in mind, what I
feel? Should I try another version? What do my fellow students think/feel? The
classroom/atelier is the place to articulate our thoughts, to have constructive
conversations. Dealing with artwork making, helps a great deal in constructing
a critical mind, who’s able to invent alternative solutions in any sort of
“problem”.
Bio.
Antigone Michalakopoulou (1981, Gr) was trained as an architect (NTUA) before committing to fine arts in Athens (ASFA), London (St-Martins) and Ghent (KASK). In her work she combines very different media such as performance, video, drawing, photography and installation art, investigating the many ways we perceive the concepts of place and space to constitute our identity. Since 2009 she took part in group exhibitions and festivals in Greece, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus and other countries, both with visual work as performances. She has also followed residency programs in Greece and Belgium. Since 2009 she practices art education with various age groups in diverse contexts.