Kostas
- From: Athens, Greece
- Studying: PhD in History of Art (full-time)
- Funding: AHRC Doctoral Scholarship
- Supervision: Dr Jo Applin
What are your research interests / what are you working on?
"My research focuses on war-related artistic practice by women artists since 1980. Situated at the dialogue of art history, psychoanalysis, feminism and political theory, my thesis explores silence as resistance in artistic interventions to dominant and patriarchal narratives that have shaped artistic production and the official historical record."
What has been the most fascinating part of your research so far, and why?
"Being able to conduct extensive archival research and coming across material that has significantly influenced my thinking and writing around this topic. It has been a fantastic time of continuous learning and personal development."
How do you find the research facilities at York?
"The research facilities at the University of York have been instrumental to the development of my project. Through the variety of public lectures, workshops, conferences and events I have had the opportunity to engage with the research of the department and of international colleagues. As a research student I have been able to attend and be inspired by these events as well as receiving support from the university to organise a workshop at the Humanities Research Centre in the Berrick Saul Building with fellow research students. "
What background do you come to your PhD from and what made you choose your research area?
"My undergraduate education was in science. During my degree I realised that my true passions lie in art and art history and my postgraduate journey started at King’s College with an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma and MA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. During this time I was fortunate to work for numerous arts institutions and organisations, including the Whitechapel Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, White Cube and the Athens Biennial. These actively shaped my interests and engagement with contemporary artistic practice. I am indebted to the education I received at the Courtauld Insitute of Art, where I was lucky enough to work with Dr Catherine Grant, Professor Mignon Nixon and Professor Juliet Mitchell, who were all very inspiring and influential to my own engagement with art history and psychoanalysis. Finally, my stimulating discussions with Dr Jo Applin, which led to the development of my research proposal, were a pivotal moment of my academic journey and my decision to choose this research area."
Why York rather than somewhere else?
"The opportunity to work with Dr Jo Applin in this journey was probably the most significant reason for my choice. But also, significantly, I chose York because I wanted to be part of its exciting and well-respected History of Art department, comprised of academic staff that I respect and admire, and its very energetic research student community."
Do you have an idea of how you’ll use your PhD/plans for the future?
"I would love to keep researching and writing on this topic as well as broaden its scope and explore its various facets. I have many exciting ideas about articles and publications for the future that are the direct result of my current PhD research at York and I am looking forward to see how they will develop."
What would your dream job be?
"This vision keeps changing, which I think is a good thing. It could either be being a member of the curatorial department of a public arts institution or an academic member of staff in History of Art in the UK or abroad. We’ll see!"
