Fictional Flags for Ideal States

Flags are an image most of us recognize even without knowing or having ever visiting the country they represent. Flags aim to allude to the values and history of countries/states through their colours and designs. With over 195 flags representing all the countries of the world, few of us can recognise every single one. Flags, which are symbols that aim to reinforce the national identity of a state, simultaneously are able to unite as well as divide, thus constituting objects of worship and hate.

Vessel artists Navine G. Dossos and Nektarios Pappas lead a creative workshop titled “Fictional Flags for Ideal States” within the framework of the exhibition Statecraft (and beyond) at the National Museum of Contemporary Art | ΕΜΣΤ.

Through the use of collage and screen printing, the workshop will look at the symbolic meanings and designs of flags, spurring participants to think about creating flags of their own personal fictional countries and states – expressing their values, geography and the people who inhabit them. The workshop will, among other things, look into the most popular colours and what they mean, and explore some of the most common shapes and geometrical forms, bringing together new combinations that are playful and political, with an emphasis on climate and ecology in particular.

Workshop Photographs: Anna Primou