Στα πλαίσια του 6ου Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου για τον Μεταουμανισμό, που διοργανώνει το Τμήμα Πολιτισμικής Τεχνολογίας κι Επικοινωνίας του Πανεπιστημίου Αιγαίου, η Εύη Σαμπανίκου θα παρουσιάσει το graphic novel «Αϊβαλί» παράλληλα με την «Χελιδονού» του Γιώργου Τσιαμάντα και το «Χωριό» του Αποστόλη Ιωάννου.
Κατά την διάρκεια του τετραημέρου στο φουαγιέ και στην είσοδο του κτιρίου Γεωγραφίας στην Πανεπιστημιούπολη θα υπάρχει έκθεση κόμικς με σελίδες από τα τρία παραπάνω graphic novels. Επίσης στα πλαίσια του συνεδρίου θα προβληθεί για πρώτη φορά ένα μικρό βιντεάκι για το «Αϊβαλί» σε επιμέλεια του εξαιρετικού μοντέρ Γιάννη Νταρίδη και την υπέροχη μουσική του Μυτιληνιού Νίκου Ανδρίκου.
«POSTHUMAN POLITICS – 6th Beyond Humanism Conference»
Evi Sampanikou
Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication
University of the Aegean
Framing Posthuman Notions of Politics in Contemporary Greek Graphic Novels: Aϊβαλί
(Ayvali) by Soloup and Other Novels (by Giorgos Tsiamantas and Apostolis Ioannou)
The presentation refers to the reconsideration of the political notion of the ‘Other’ in contemporary
Greek graphic novels. It is accompanied by the exhibition “Framing Posthuman Politics: Ayvali,
Helidonou and the Village” (University of the Aegean, Campus, Geography Building, 25-28
September 2014).
The work mainly discussed is ‘Αϊβαλί (Ayvali)’, the recent (expected to be published by November
2014 – a preview is held in the related exhibition) enormous (448 pages) graphic novel by the wellknown
Greek artist Soloup. The novel, inspired by the homonymous mid-20th
century book (1962) of the Greek novelist and artist Photis Kontoglou and the narrative of a Turkish writer (Ahmet Yorulmaz) and many other writers as well, focuses on the Greco-Turkish relations and a history of conflict that has produced not only millions of Greek refugees but also thousands of displaced Turkish people. Soloup (biographical note of the artist in the exhibition) examines the impact of historical incidents, diplomacy and political planning, to the formation of a 28 Posthuman identity of a contemporary Greek.
A second work included in this study is the graphic novel ‘Panaghia I Helidonou’ (=Our Lady of
the Swallows) (published: April 2014) that is actually an adaptation of the French novelist’s Margaritte Yoursenar’s work ‘Notre-Dame-des-Hirondelles’ (1938). Created by Yiorgos Tsiamantas (short cv in exhibition), the story explores a fictional tradition’s origins in the area of Attica / Athens during the early Christian period (4th- 5th cent. AD) when a zealot monk arrives in Attica to destroy the Ancient Greek religion. Posthumanist thought is a basic element of this story, bridging the gap between Antiquity and Byzantium and reconciliating the Ancient Gods with Virgin Mary.
The last graphic novel examined is “The Village” (expected in October 2014 – preview in the
exhibition) by the much promising young artist Apostolis Ioannou . The story unfolds a contemporary scenario of a city family returning to the village of their origin, with an aim to share Nature’s sense of balance among all creatures on Earth, a view fully widespread in Posthumanism.
The three case studies reveal most of all and for once more in what ways personal stories express
the common political feeling and ideology of contemporary people and how much a personal
narrative is actually a political declaration. And also, how much Posthumanism, as a successor of
Postmodernism, focuses on personal narratives or personal fiction.
anthropolikos 