Vasia Markides : Artist & Filmmaker

Trailer for "Three Candles"

2011-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

I recently finished editing the trailer for Three Candles, a documentary about the innocent women exiled to brutal concentration camps during the Greek civil war. Seven journals found buried beneath a tree on Trikeri island now tell their stories almost seven decades later.

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=741IvX8GnN4

Synopsis:

Narrated by Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis, ‘Three Candles’ depicts the story of Greek women and girls exiled to concentration camps on the island of Trikeri during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949). Decades after their imprisonment, seven buried journals, written in secret by the women of Trikeri during their imprisonment, were unearthed from under a tree. The journals, filled with stories and drawings, give new insight into the women and girls daily life on the island.

Longer Synopsis:

During the years 1946-1949 following WWII, a Civil War was well under way in Greece.The country’s war was a polarized political struggle between the Greek Governmental Army and the Democratic Army. Those involved with the Democratic Army, even by mere association, were accused of being ‘anti-patriots’ and enemies of the State. Upon their capture they were sent to isolated islands that were officially declared unfit for human habitation, Makronisos, Yaros, and Trikeri to name a few.

These islands were concentration camps, under the disguise of rehabilitation centers, designed to horrifically torture and humiliate prisoners who stood up for what they believed and refused to sign the Declaration of Repentance, deloseis metanoias, so they can once again become the men, women and children of Greece.

Although there is documentation about the atrocities that occurred to the men during that period, an important part of that history involved women of all ages and backgrounds. There is very little documentation of what took place on Trikeri and the other islands where women were exiled. To date, there is no mention in Greek textbooks about this dark period or the government’s role in these historical events.

Years later, after the camps were phased out, seven sole surviving notebooks written by the women of Trikeri in secrecy and buried under a tree during their imprisonment, have surfaced to speak the truth about their suffering and how they managed to survive and keep their spirit unbroken. The women’s own voices bring to light a part of history the Greek government continues to repress.

To learn more, visit:

http://www.oramapictures.info/three-candles

Paint and Such

2011-11-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Most recent commission; oil on canvas; 28"x 36"

11.11.11

2011-11-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today is a significant day for me, as it is for many.

It’s 11.11.11.

For the past six months or so, I have been haunted by number 11. I see it everywhere. It all began when my best friend unexpectedly passed away last January. This was a huge tragedy in my life, needless to say. At first I began seeing patterns in my phone. 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, things like that. (see blog post from March 26th, 2011, http://bit.ly/uiuHJH).

It would happen all the time. Then it became centered around 11. I'd look at the phone at 11:11. Or 1:11. Then it was my computer clock. Then the net stretched much wider.

I’d receive emails and texts at 11:11. I’d get lost on a highway driving and I’d have to take exit 11 to get back on track. This happened a couple of times. One day I was driving with a group in a van telling them about this 11 stalker, because we happened to be driving on highway 111 in Long Island, and the car had to screech to a halt to avoid another car zipping through the intersection. It was a very close call, and it was directly in front of 7-11. My partner won the lottery at his architecture firm for a ticket to a Yankees game, and what was his assigned seat number? 11. That same game, player number 11 struck out to lead the game into the 11^th inning. I’m stationed in a car during a film shoot waiting for the crew and a huge cargo truck is being unloaded directly in front of me. The lone man unloading the truck is wearing a t-shirt with the number 11 on the back. I participated in a friend’s video shoot and when they sent me the YouTube link to the final piece it was 1 minute 11 seconds. When I clicked on the link again, it was 1:12. Everyone else saw it as 1:12, but it happened to show 1:11 twice for me. I get into a chosen subway car and happen to be standing right below or right across the number 11 (there are numbers by each door). These examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

A few major events that have taken place on the 11^th:

March 11^th, 1918: First case of influenza virus reported.

December 11^th, 1941: USA declares war on Germany in WWII, 1941

August 11^th, 1965: Watts Riots begin in LA.

September 11^th, 2001: Bombing of the World Trade Center

March 11^th, 2004: Madrid train bombings

March 11^th, 2009: Swine Flu declared Global Pandemic by the WHO.

January 11^th, 2010: Earthquake in Haiti

March 11^th, 2011: Tsunami in Japan

July 11^th, 2011: Major explosion at a power plant in Cyprus (my home)

...TO BE CONTINUED (I realize this happens to be my 11th blog post -- this was not intentional).

Update

2011-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Adam Niklewicz. The Round Table

http://www.adamniklewicz.com/

http://www.blackandwhiteartgallery.com/exhibitions.html

Just finished working on a one week shoot of "Decoded", a History Channel program, as they closed out their season.

We worked seven long 12 hour days (and one 15 hour one!) -- a good reminder of what production is like at that level.

About to officially start editing "Three Candles". I'm also planning to get a good start on my film about Nicholas Sucy, one of my closest friends who passed from Multiple Schlerosis this past January. He's legendary and I'm eager to share him with the world.

Also, I'm being stalked by the number 11. Many strange things have been happening around that number. More about that to come soon.

Three Candles

2011-08-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Visitors,

Please check out this new doc project for which I'll be the editor. Consider donating as much as you can (even if it's $5 or $10) to help expose the buried stories of these persecuted women. Visit the Fractured Atlas page at the link below:

http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=3927

for more info on the project visit:

http://www.oramapictures.info/three-candles

Thank you in advance!

Vasia

"Hidden in the Sand" to represent Cyprus in Doc Europa III on June 17-19, 2011

2011-06-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hidden in the Sand was selected as the Cyprus representative in the Doc Europa III festival this year in Cascais and Porto, Portugal. They are covering my expenses to attend the screening and I'm still recovering from the shock. Europe does it best, it appears.

Art exhibition, "Enter Neath", May 5th, 2011

2011-05-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Some images from my recent opening, Enter Neath, on May 5th at Yashar Gallery in Greenpoint.

Laundry; Oil on Panel; 12” x 36”; $700

Laundry (detail)

Banana Boat; Oil on Canvas; 24"x 24"; $750

Patch, Oil on Panel, 2 x(12"x 12"); $700 for diptych; $375 each

Patch (detail)

Beast; Oil on Panel; 12"x 18"; $550

Limbo; Oil & Mixed Media on Panel; 12" x 12"; $400

Bullhorn; Oil on Panel; 12" x 12"; ($400)

Roar (NFS)

Cliffhanger; Oil & Mixed Media on Panel; 12" x 12"; $400

Gondola; Oil on Panel; 12"x 12"; ($450)

I also included a 8 minute video which wove video footage from Patagonian glaciers with audio of morning dream recordings.

Upcoming Show

2011-04-18T09:39:00.001-07:00

Opening Night Details

Thursday, May 5th, 6-9 p.m

Yashar Gallery

276 Greenpoint Avenue,

Brooklyn, NY 11222

Directions: G Train / B61 & B43 to Greenpoint Avenue

B24 Bus to Newell Street / 1 Block East of McGuiness Boulevard

The show is up until May 25, by appointment only. Please contact me if you'd like to stop by at a later date.

McGorlick park welcomes Boardwalk Empire

2011-04-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, Boardwalk Empire, an HBO show starring Steve Buscemi, was filming a murder scene on my block. Even though the orange cones kept me too far in proximity from witnessing the scene of the crime, I was captivated by the "set" that occurred around the shoot; the way the trees in the park were brightly lit in white, the way the fog rolled over the grass as it came out of the machine, and the the way passer-bys were transfixed before the spectacle. The atmosphere around the perimeters of the scene itself became a brilliant stage of its own, trivializing everything else in its wake.

technical glitches

2011-04-02T07:46:00.001-07:00

Dear visitors,

Working on some formatting issues with Blogger so please forgive any oddities on the site for the time being. Thanks.

Patterns

2011-03-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been intrigued by the uncanny number of times that I've looked at my phone when it was 11:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55 (mind you, I like to give these things more attention then perhaps they deserve). At first it was a joke amongst friends, but then when I started catching it several times a day on some days, it started to grab my attention (and I don't statistically look at it THAT much, which has been suggested by some). There was a period of one week during which I was no longer seeing any patterns at all, (which I must admit, made me feel as if I was losing this odd connection I felt), but recently they came back with a vengeance. What does it all mean? Not sure, but also okay with the mystery.

Keynote speaker at Allegheny College

2011-03-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was one of the keynote speakers at the Global Citizenship conference at Alleghany College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

The town was quirky and the antique and thrift shops of the area are one of a kind. The "penny bar" has a sign on the door that says "anyone who drops the F-bomb is out of here", and a confederate flag constructed of pennies (yup, it made me cringe too). A new law in Pennsylvania allows smoking indoors as long as the place sells a higher percentage of alcohol than food. DAD's pet care company is located in Meadville and apparently in the summer, the town smells like dog food.

It's funny how in-your-face the reality of flying is

Student dance perfomance

Confederate flag made of pennies

2011-02-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Visitors:

I'm in the process of revamping my site and look forward to sharing it soon.

Thanks for your patience.

Yours unruly,

Vasia