CANDID

CANDID explores the undercurrents of female relationships through movement, words, touch and metaphors.  CANDID is made of Tania Batzoglou and Vanio Papadelli. We are two Greek female artists and friends who met in London and in 2013 gave a promise to each other - to present every year an artistic project based on how our relationship evolves over time. Initially sounding as a utopian and romantic commitment, CANDID is gradually becoming a shape-shifting performance ritual that celebrates long lasting friendships. An intimate palimpsest that reflects a growing relationship through different forms and mediums including live performances, installation, film and multimodal writing. 

CANDID is a collaborative project born out of common life and work experiences that generated shared references but also potential seeds of competition. It unfolds as a ‘truth or dare’ game - dangerous, revealing and rewarding - that weaves the stories of two women who candidly deconstruct and reinvent themselves.

CANDID is a collage not only of our friendship but also other women we’ve met, sensed, imagined, read or heard about, which keeps growing and gaining layers of complexity. The real, the mythical and the imaginary are reflected and merged, unveiling and blending memories and stories - both personal and collective. Unspoken comparisons, conflicts and fears find a way to be shared as material for discussion and performance.

CANDID questions friendship as it raises issues of identity, sustainability, transience and commitment, at times as a shout at times as a subtle allusion. Can female friendship be reimagined as a creative, intelligent and inquisitive practice that defies stereotypes? Can female friendship be radical?