Olive Orchard, Athens

In this abandoned orchard the only hint at previous agrarian activity is in the presence of the sheep at the centre of the work. Dikeakos visited this area during the pre-construction period of the Athens's Olympics. The empty, unfenced land had been treated as a dumping site. Ironically, the reddish earth is rich in iron and ideal for a viable/sustainable agriculture. Soon after he took this picture, the land - which belonged to a monastery - was developed for the new Attikis Freeway. This development prompted the artist to examine the desecration of the sacred and the role that dereliction plays in sacred sites. His Greek heritage has sensitized him to the vagaries of historic processes. Olive Orchard, Athens is in keeping with Dikeakos's long-standing interest in teasing out the histories embedded in the land and showing their sometimes uneasy fit with contemporary realities.