Residencies 2024

Contested Desires: Constructive dialogues

www.contesteddesires.eu

Andreas Mallouris in residence at D6

Andreas Mallouris joined D6 as one of the Contested Desires artists in residence in Newcastle this November, exploring ideas of vulnerability and care centring on queer lived experiences. The legacy of British imperialism has and continues to profoundly impact the lives of queer people around the world. And for LGBTQI+ people seeking safety and refuge in the UK, the British legal system adds a further layer of hostility.

Andreas asks: ‘How possible is it to decolonise each molecule of institutional perception around our individuality?’

Andreas got to know local LGBTQI+ networks in Newcastle, including the queer gardening collective TopSoil. In an open studio at D6 he presented thinking from these conversations and work spanning sculpture, drawing and photography.

His use of handmade soap and dried rose stems, for example, bring the viewers attention to a tactile immediacy, a oneness with human needs but also the fragility of the human experience: ‘How can we fit into the universe as visceral, spiritual, emotional, molecular and sensational beings?’ he asks.