Alexandra Kehayoglou
Interview (2021)
I’ve heard that your family operates a carpet factory. From the traditions, techniques, and wisdom you inherited from your family, could you tell us what are the most important ones that you make use of in your artwork?My father has been an inspiration for me. His influence is very present. My grandmother had to leave Greece because of the Turkish invasion in the beginning of the 20th century. She went by boat to Buenos Aires into an arranged marriage. Her loom saved all my ancestors’ family in exile. This loom was passed into me. I don’t know why, but for me it is important to honour this Greek origin of my work.
I rescue the notion of love that this craft carries with it, and how this love for what you can achieve bigger things. My Greek ancestors came from Isparta, a town that specialized in carpets and roses. I carry these two symbols with me in my work, and this used to be the love of my family, the passion they had, and now this passion develops in my work.
In my life Greece is a precious land where I come every year to make a stop, think what I am doing, and connect with my ancestors. Now I am in Greece thinking about staying here for some time, connecting deeper with this notion of love for carpet and roses. Back in Argentina the carpet factory that my dad constructed is no longer connected to me, since my family has been pushed away from the factory, and my father is ill at home and this is quite a hard situation which I prefer to keep private. Again, I have decided to rescue the love for the work that my grandmother had, and that my father had too.