TALIANI | 2026
CYCLADIC BIENNALE 2026
Installation
Materials: Pistachio shells (Aegina pistachios), glass sphere, oil painting on PVC, volcanic earth (Santorini lava)
Dimensions: 150 × 270 cm
ΤALIANI is an installation inspired by the Alyki Lagoon of Naxos, historically known as “Taliani” (fish farm), a site of complex ecological and cultural significance. Alyki functions simultaneously as a feeding ground and a refuge, where the concept of dwelling extends beyond the human, providing habitat for endangered bird species. The area is part of the Natura 2000 network and has been designated as a Wildlife Refuge.
The installation investigates forms of camouflage, integration, and protection within the natural landscape, creating a hybrid nest that functions simultaneously as a space of exhibition and a place of safety. Through this process, the research aims to highlight the relationality between human and non-human organisms, as well as the need to redefine the concept of habitat within the context of ecological interdependence and environmental care.
The installation consists of a spatial structure that references the natural landscape while simultaneously functioning as a camouflaged and embedded nest. Positioned in direct relation to the ground, it is “activated” by light, creating reflections.
The work approaches Alyki as both a nest and a structure of care, a system that requires continuous support in order to provide support. Through this condition, TALIANI seeks to reveal the interdependent relationships between organisms, environments, and practices of care. A site of ecological importance that serves as a habitat for migratory and endangered bird species. The research examines the spatial and symbolic dimensions of the nest as a structure of protection, care, and survival, focusing on the relationships between body, environment, and habitation.
The research focuses on the spatial and conceptual condition of the site, examining the ways in which the natural environment shapes the identity of the island. Alyki is approached as a transitional space, an environment of rest, care, and reproduction, an in- between territory where survival and vulnerability coexist.
Drawing on ecofeminist theories and care studies, the proposal approaches care as a collective and ecological practice that extends beyond anthropocentric understandings. Alyki is understood as a site of transition and vulnerability, where the notion of refuge remains continuously unstable and under negotiation.
The TALIANI installation explores concepts such as disorientation, the search for refuge, and nest-building, raising the question: what place can truly be considered safe?
A nest that requires care in order to care.
Katerina Kotsala
July 2026
