Banana and the Monkey: Gone Fishing is the first instalment of a series of riso-printed queer zines created for the children of the future of any age and their cool parents by the cultural platform The Queer Archive. The story and characters are created by filmmaker/curator Konstantinos Menelaou and illustrations by artist George Kontos. The publication has inspired a series of artworks that will be exhibited in the gallery space of Hyper Hyppo.
Banana and the Monkey are two unconventional characters that were created out of the need for simplicity in the chaotic world that we live in. Not taking their ability to function as human beings for granted and leaning towards a queer lifestyle, they become outcasts, representing the other, possible victims of oppression and injustice. However, their optimism, positive energy and total indifference to what is perceived as normal are the qualities this project aims to nurture.
Konstantinos Menelaou and George Kontos started their conversation on the project in 2020 and in the process they discovered the multiple interpretations deriving from these two characters through different media. The zine was of primal interest aiming at inspiring inclusivity to a younger generation, while the artworks that were created from and inspired by the two characters and their universe present a more open and experimental approach to innocence and unapologetic existence.
BANANA AND THE MONKEY: ZINE AND ART EXHIBITION
George Kontos & Konstantinos Menelaou
Launch: Thursday 13th October 2022, 19:00-22:00
Exhibition: 13-21 October 2022
Hyper Hypo: Voreou 10, Athina 105 51
ORGANIZED BY
The Queer Archive
www.thequeerarchive.com
www.facebook.com/thequeerarchive
www.instagram.com/thequeerarchive
CURATED BY
Konstantinos Menelaou
www.konstantinosmenelaou.com
@okostakis
George Kontos
www.georgekontos.com
@gkontos
