This Is Always This is an intimate dialogue between artists Yorgos Maraziotis and Karen Y. Chan that began in September 2016 at The Studios at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., and continued between New York City and Athens, Greece. After months of sharing of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs, the dialogue now takes the shape of a multisensory exhibition. Through their multidisciplinary work, the artists explore their common search for a literal or figurative home—or center—in times of uncertainty, as well as the need for perpetual beginnings as a means of survival in an unpredictable world. The show is a continuation of the deeply personal discourse between Maraziotis and Chan, interweaving themes of fragmentation, displacement, and what it means to start anew. Featuring sculptures, installations, prints on fabrics and paper, videos, and soundscapes, the works of the two artists transform AC Institute’s space into a mysterious environment that is both delicate and raw. Visitors are encouraged to explore the work and their surroundings and question their roles in a space that oscillates between reality and fiction, between darkness and light. This Is Always This includes a limited-edition publication that contains excerpts from the in-person and online conversations between Maraziotis and Chan, accompanied by photographs and still images of selected works. Its candid design and large-format size offers a glimpse of the playfulness inherent in the artists’ practices, and perhaps even a hint of intimacy and surprise.

Biographies

Yorgos Maraziotis (b. 1984, Athens, Greece) studied Silkscreen at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and holds a First Class degree in Illustration from the University of Wolverhampton (U.K.). His work has been exhibited at the Museum Tinguely (Switzerland), CICA Museum (South Korea), Benaki Museum (Greece), American College in Greece, Vetlanda Museum (Sweden), Santorini Arts Factory (Greece), Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center (Greece), and Beton7 Gallery (Greece), amongst others. Maraziotis lives and works in Athens and New York City.

Karen Y. Chan (b. 1975, New York City) Chan holds degrees from New York University and The New School. Her work has been shown locally and nationally at the Queens Museum, NURTUREart Gallery, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, BronxArtSpace, Vox Populi, ACRE TV/Fernwey Gallery, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Alexander Calder Fine Arts Center, and more. She was recently Artist-in-Residence at the Studios at MASS MoCA/Assets for Artists and participated in The Art of Stillness Residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativit