Olga Migliaressi-Phoca
Risky Business

The Breeder is pleased to present “Risky Business”, the solo exhibition of new work by Olga Migliaressi-Phoca; a thought-provoking exploration of gender, identity, visual representation, and the complex interplay between subjects and objects. The exhibition pushes boundaries and challenges norms, inviting viewers to delve into a world of contemplation and reflection.

Migliaressi-Phoca is inviting us to a captivating wordplay through the transformation of iconic logos in her text-based pieces. Instantly recognizable, familiar graphic marks that have become part of our language, are being revisited in stimulating twists to create new meanings and prompt introspection.

Her pop aesthetic, coupled with a caustic edge, provides a critical perspective. The exhibition opens with a striking neon installation, “Risky Business / 2023,” displaying bold red lettering that serves as a captivating prologue to the thematic narratives unfolding within the gallery. Drawing inspiration from the 1983 film of the same title, “Risky Business” combines risk-taking and the pursuit of gratification, urging viewers to question societal expectations and embrace risks inherent in pursuing their dreams and desires. Embedded within the fabric of Athens’ own ambivalent settings, “Risky Business” transforms the gallery into an alluring environment. Visitors are invited to assume the cover of VAGUE magazine, a fictional publication representing each month of the year 2080. Through a mere slip of a letter and a subtle glitch, a magazine’s authority, visual excellence, and aspirational lifestyle become obscure, cryptic yet iconic, blurring the boundaries of presence and mirage. What was once defined and aspirational now embraces a poetic vagueness, where meanings become fluid and elusive, inviting contemplation and intrigue.

The immersive installation “The Future is Vague / 2023” features twelve mirror pieces, intertwining personal experiences with larger social structures. The artist embraces a spirited and whimsical approach as she engages in a dialogue with other artists spanning across different periods in art history – Loucas Samaras, Joan Jonas, Dan Graham, Olafur Eliasson – all of whom explore the use of reflective surfaces in their practices. These artists delved into the interplay between mirroring and spectatorship, inviting viewers to engage with the other and examine liminal concepts and sensory experiences. Minimal sculptures and mirror mazes disrupted the differentiation between the individual and the autonomous art object whilst performative events introduced spectators’ reflections into a dynamic and ever-changing visual field, reflecting the shifting ground of relations. Thinking of consumer desire, surveillance, and the challenges of defining oneself in isolation, they unveiled the layers of commercial influence and the profound impact of external forces on our perceptions.

The mirrors in “Risky Business”, meticulously developed through a labor-intensive process, create a layered tapestry of semantics, symbols, traces of language, and images. Through humor and ambiguity, Migliaresi Phoca’s artworks invite viewers to contemplate the portrayal of gender, sparking critical inquiries into the depiction and reproduction of womanhood as a fluid and inclusive concept. The mirrors employed in her installations serve as potent symbols of truth, self-reflection, and self-awareness, while also capturing the transient essence of the self and unveiling the intricate mosaic of fragmented identities. By undermining the power of the objectifying gaze, the exhibition challenges conventional notions and invites viewers to reevaluate their own perceptions.

This installation ignites a dialogue with visitors as they confront their reflections, offering a transformative and empowering experience. The exhibition breaks free from present stagnancy, launching a journey to another future, gazing into selfies-windows that provide glimpses of a not-yet-here. Each month’s ‘cover’ takes unexpected twists, featuring intimate body part-heroes, symbolic representations of games and gender dynamics, ironic brand appropriations, flower power transformations, reversed advertising campaigns, metaphorical guides, and anagrams that encourage viewers to reflect on their personal storylines and embrace them.

Finally, the LED work ‘Get the Hell Out’ serves as a bold and impactful statement against gender prejudices. Culminating the narrative, it comprises 10 strategically positioned SEXIST signs that adhere to the conventions of traditional EXIT signs, confronting and sarcastically showing the way out.

-Panos Giannikopoulos, 2023

Olga Migliaressi-Phoca (b.1981) lives and works in Athens. She was awarded her MFA in Photography & Related Media at Parsons, The New School for Design in New York in 2009. Prior to that she completed her Foundation Studies in Art & Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London. She is represented by The Breeder gallery, Athens.

Selected solo exhibitions include: Perpetual Endangered Tempo, P.E.T Projects, Athens; GOODFEAR, in collaboration with Despoina Damaskou, SPAGHETTO SOLARIUM, hosted by The Breeder, Athens; TEST THE WATERS, In collaboration with Despoina Damaskou, Spaghetto Test, SPAGHETTO SOLARIUM, Venice, Italy ; Sin City, Dio Horia Contemporary Art Platform, Mykonos; Loves Me Loves Me Not, You Cannot Hide For More Than Seven Years Project by Despoina Damaskou Architecture Studio, Athens; Coco Nuts, Dio Horia Contemporary Art Platform, Mykonos.

Selected group show include:This Current Between Us curated by Panos Giannikopoulos & Georgia Liapi, Old Steam-Electric Power Station of Neo Faliro; P.T.S.D., curated by Lydia Antoniou & George Bekirakis, Athens; Sisterhood, curated by Angelo Plessas, Haus N Athen, Athens; Who’s The Fairest Of Them All?, curated by Despoina Damaskou and Angelo Plessas, SPAGHETTO, Athens with P.E.T. Projects, Athens for Contemporary Istanbul; A Nice Pair, Spaghetto Test, Twenty One YES Hotels, Athens; Condo Unit, SPAGHETTO, Athens; A Collaborative Exhibition by 10 international galleries, organized by The Breeder, Athens; Highlight: Gramercy, curated by Paul Efstathiou and Eleanor Flatow, National Arts Club, New York; Galerie Utopia / Nowhereland Part II, Hamburg, Germany; Dancing Goddesses, curated by Marina Vranopoulos, Dio Horia, Mykonos; Cultural Memories, curated by Petros Kosmas, The Archaeological Museum of Milos, Greece; It Looks Like Up To Me, Eleni Koroneou Gallery, Athens; The Diary of a Seamstress, curated by Efi Falida, Antonopoulou Gallery, Athens; The Equilibrists, curated by Gary Carrion-Murayari & Helga Christoffersen with Massimiliano Gioni, a project organized by the New Museum, New York and the DESTE Foundation, Athens in collaboration with the Benaki Museum, Athens. In 2019-2020 she was an artist-in-residence at the Fountainhead Residency Program in Miami, Florida. In 2011, she was one of the winners of the Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren Art Stars Project Award, which is geared towards emerging young artists and designers in Europe.