{"id":4834,"date":"2017-11-06T09:43:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T07:43:08","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-01-29T12:19:12","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T10:19:12","slug":"carlos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/faces-stories\/carlos\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlos"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Carlos\"
Carlos (Syria)<\/em>, 2017,\u00a0Gicl\u00e9e fine art print, 160 x 120 cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carlos<\/strong>
\n25 years old<\/strong>
\nSyria<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In Bia Davou\u2019s work1<\/sup> I could see that each of the sails is a different colour and faces a different direction. It made me feel tense and confused, because it brought to mind what\u2019s going on in my country, with the various factions and their differences, who are in conflict and fighting amongst themselves. Just the opposite happens when we meet in the hall at the Museum2<\/sup>; we\u2019re all different and think differently, but we realize we respect each other\u2019s opinion and, what\u2019s more, we share the same feelings. So, while the work expresses conflict\u2014brought on by ethnic, racial, economic or other causes\u2014we\u2019re sending out here a different kind of message for the present and the future: even though we\u2019re different, we have things in common that unite us and we respect one another. That\u2019s why I\u2019m really happy to be part of this group3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

An artist is able to \u201cmeet\u201d other people, metaphorically speaking, through the ideas his or her work conveys. I studied acting for a year in Syria and then philosophy for another. I prefer acting because it\u2019s a form of art. With art, your voice can reach a lot of people in many different countries. You can critically analyse social issues and make a positive contribution to solving problems in society.<\/p>\n

When there\u2019s mutual respect, understanding and real communication among the members of a society, then that society can make progress. Each person fulfils their obligations and can exercise their rights. That\u2019s equality. Unfortunately, in my country, as in many other countries, that\u2019s not the case. Because of a lack of education\u2014that\u2019s how I see it\u2014[Syrian] society is moving backwards, and we\u2019re suffering a great deal because of this. A lot of restrictions have been introduced, and as a result, people have become stuck in the way they think. Take, for example, the position of women. When the crisis broke out in Syria, I was still a teenager. Until then, I\u2019d had the idea that a woman could be a doctor, a teacher, a wife, a musician, a gymnast\u2014whatever she chose to be\u2014just as a man could. Actually, if you look back in time, you\u2019ll see that throughout the centuries there have been very important women in the country\u2019s history. Unfortunately, restrictions have been placed on what a woman can do with her life, the skills and talents she might have in a particular area aren\u2019t recognized, and in general she\u2019s not considered equal to a man.<\/p>\n

A lot of times I can\u2019t find a logical explanation for things. For example, when I got to Athens I didn\u2019t expect to find this situation with drugs and garbage on so many of the city streets. It indicates how values have eroded. I don\u2019t understand how this could happen in a country like Greece, with its history and with a culture that goes back to Antiquity. I think that\u2019s what Alexandros Georgiou is exploring in his work4<\/sup>. He colours the temple of the Parthenon in yellow and places it at the centre to show that culture and history are very important and can\u2019t be erased, however much society has changed in the meantime, that they\u2019ll always be there to bring people together.<\/p>\n

Kostis Velonis\u2019 Swedish Flying Carpet <\/em>talks about the encounter between different cultures. My own sense is that communication and the exchange of ideas and elements of culture can foster progress and cultural development. We just need to appreciate and not dismiss the culture and history that each nation has contributed. What surely destroys a culture is war.\u00a0 As a young person, I want the situation in my country to improve so that I can have hope for my future there. However, the absence of freedom in Syria has led thousands of young persons like me to seek their fortune elsewhere in another country, where they face an uncertain future.<\/p>\n

All this is happening in a country with two of the most ancient cities in the world, Aleppo and Damascus. And yet, one dark moment in its modern history was enough to destroy a centuries-old culture and the lives of thousands of people. It\u2019s not only that I can\u2019t study in my country, or that I\u2019d be poor and hungry. The war has destroyed everything. It\u2019s why I left and I am here today, trying to make a new start in my life. I want to study and work in a country in the EU and get exposed to elements of European culture, but I also want to contribute in turn with elements of my own culture. I hope I\u2019ll be given the chance to show who I really am and what I can do, and what I can contribute.<\/p>\n

As refugees we have all endured a great deal of hardship. We need a short break from the troubles weighing on our mind. We need to be among people who are willing to listen to us and who can understand us, so that we can share our thoughts with them. Because a person\u2019s mind and way of thinking is their greatest treasure.<\/p>\n

In the end, as Bill Viola\u2019s work5<\/sup> shows, nothing can stop us from dreaming and making plans for our future, and we need to be determined that even if we fall, we will get back up and carry on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>Refers to Sails<\/em>, 1981-1982.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>Refers to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Refers to the group during whose meetings at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, this narrative was recorded.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>Refers to the work Athens, Parthenon<\/em>, 2007-2008.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>Refers to The Raft<\/em>, 2004.<\/p>\n

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Audio Files<\/strong><\/h5>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\u0395\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac<\/p>\n

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English<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/mp3\/Carlos-E.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/mp3\/Carlos-A.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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\u0641\u0627\u0631\u0633\u06cc<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/mp3\/Carlos-F.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]Slovensk\u00fd<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/mp3\/Carlos_25_Syria.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1511022388651{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Carlos 25 years old Syria In Bia Davou\u2019s work1 I could see that each of the sails is a different colour and faces a different direction. It made me feel tense and confused, because it brought to mind what\u2019s going on in my country, with the various factions and their differences, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4834","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4834"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7957,"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4834\/revisions\/7957"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.faceforward.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}