Béchamel: between art and anthropology in Athens and in Skopje

Abstract

Installation-performance "Béchamel" (2017-2019) consists of an illustrated text that unfolds in sixteen placemats arranged on a dining table and in the degustation of dishes popular in Greece and North Macedonia upon which the artist spreads béchamel sauce with the use of construction tools. The cookbook of Nikolaos Tselementes inspired the work. Tselementes tried to "discipline" and "civilize" the Greek cuisine while simultaneously advocating the obedience of his female readers. "Béchamel" suggests that similar types of "discipline" have been imposed in the cities of Athens and Skopje, where monuments commemorating women are scarce.

On the occasion of "Béchamel" and through my participation in the field as an artist and anthropologist, I will address issues arising from the interaction between anthropology and contemporary art. Moreover, I will approach comparatively silences, expectations and performances concerning the nation, memory, food and gender in both cities.