In The man on the left, Maria Tsagkari narrates the journey of her research into the life and musical career of her great-grandfather, the rebetis and violinist Nikos Syrigos the Santorinian a.k.a. “Santorinakis”, which began when she was invited to take part in an exhibition and create an artwork for the occasion. The title refers to his position among four musicians, in the only document her family had on him, a black & white photograph taken in 1928. Starting from the family home in Piraeus, the birthplace of rebetiko music, where the photograph was kept, the story unfolds by delving into the life of the Asia Minor refugee community, revealing a collection of diverse stories that are all autonomous and yet deeply connected. Smyrnian musicians, politicians, intellectuals, family members, directors, songwriters, singers and authors provide information on his life, unintentionally, through their views, their attitudes and their historical imprint. In its retrospection of the sociopolitical turmoil of that era and the lives of refugee musicians, the work brings up issues of identity, origin, belonging, archival material and the omissions of history. The artist’s confessional narrative on returning to and confronting the past, is built upon an accumulation of memories, stories and photographic documents; through the intimate retelling of disappointments, emotional vibrations, revelations and subversions that emerge when personal experience interacts with the grant historical narrative. Thus, personal apprehensions on meeting with the past run alongside the anxiety inherent in creating a work of art, while, through the sequential presentation of photographs, questions, personal disclosures, and events cause a domino effect of historical and emotional discoveries. 源自：https://mariatsagkari.com/portfolio-item/the-man-on-the-left-2022/
