i've been scribbling at the back of my notebooks since school. then i painted. then i made collages. then i started making things. the vision of spending a year in a remote greek island, painting, writing and enjoying all the seasons, was my idea of a blissful and successful life...full of words, movies, photographs, drawings and paintings, the power of nature and anything creative, including like - minded individuals, cultured, imaginative and eccentric. my first drawing classes started on the fourth floor of a non descript building in exarhia, the 'anarchic' area of athens. politics and black. art and books. songs and gigs... gatherings...love... i took my dreams, visions, ambitions and two suitcases to london, where art became my true calling; my life, free to explore, indulge, choose and learn. FOUNDATION in sir john cass, BA in camberwell college of arts, MA in london college of communication... space and identity became the protagonistic themes which manifested in drawings and paintings, installations and sculpture, slide shows and films, photographs and performances, where they have remained since. the photographs created a new male gaze and gave birth to live art: the performances are visual pieces, incorporating fine art sensibilities and theoretical considerations; unusual spectacles, including spoken word, lights, sounds, songs, confetti, plates and boxes, spitting fire, satin ribbon and corset, dolls, microphones and thorny red roses, dramatic/ theatrical make up, humour and melancholy, anger and catharsis, sex and sensuality, intellect and style colour them and they are always close to the bone... i conceive, write, produce, plan and execute these pieces and have had the help and expertise of a team of amazing people who made these performances possible: doug haywood (sound), piers thompson (voice/ direction), jonnie elf (art direction), maria garcia (make up), oliver garcia (doll/ corset), as well as all who have filmed and photographed the performances in situ. i am part of the ACTART collective, since its beginning in april 2004, as well as the BEHIND BARS collective since its beginning in may 2006. i have also performed at KAOS, a monthly multi- media/ fetish/ art club, SUBTERFUGE, a live art collective based in manchester and the HAYWARD GALLERY in july 2006, as part of the undercover surrealism exhibition, titled THE MONSTER IN THE NIGHT OF THE LABYRINTH curated by lee adams and ron athey (DVD is now on sale at the gallery and other art institutions). i have performed and continue to perform in underground art/ fashion/ queer/ political clubs and parties... i have performed in ljubljana, slovenia at the 9th queer/ feminist festival RDECE ZORE(5 - 9 march 2008) and have completed a three day event at SHUNT VAULTS (21, 22, 23 may 2008 - curated by marina saura), where i was performing a small and larger piece a night, where the diversity of the audience and its interaction became part of the work itself. i have also completed the photographic project called 'FUCK THE GENDER UP'(continuing the concept of identity and love and being behind the lens), with an amazing subject; 8 photographs at the CLIFFORD CHANCE trans - atlantic pride exhibition in canary wharf, london(26 june - 18 july 2008 - curated by michael petry and nigel frank). the writing of my brand new performance piece called 'walking under ladders' on muse/ lover/ maker relationship, erotic and an onde sensuelle, with heaps of attitude and ample amounts of love, has been completed and i am writing two new performative pieces; 'the cut' and 'the devil is in the detail' as well as djing regularly. i have just returned from QUEERBEOGRAD, belgrade, serbia (18 - 21 september 2008), where i performed and did a dj set. POOPSY CLUB, berlin, germany (30 january 2009) was a very good experience with the rough and smooths... collaborating with queer beograd, performing a sketch written by jet moon at SUBVERSIVE MESSE, linz, austria (15 - 17 may 2009) was an enjoyable challenge...as well as performing at the fresh and new BIRD CLUB... watch this space for more clips, dates and other info and log on to my
website
www.stav-b.co.uk(which is being updated).
