Alexis Fidetzis | Undesirable Past

In August 1989, the Greek government ordered the destruction of police files documenting the political affiliations of its citizens—archives accumulated over half a century. Soon, the files were incinerated at the Chalivourgiki Steel factory in Athens. The Greek public widely accepted this decision, though some historians argued that these records could have provided critical insights into how state power was wielded against the country’s citizens. This project aims to view the act of destroying these material archives as a metaphor for the evolution of power itself, from tangible forms of control to the immaterial, decentralized systems of our era.

“Undesirable Past” uses this pivotal moment as a starting point to explore the evolving nature of power in the digital age. During the residency, Fidetzis plans to engage with this theme through a combination of research, material experimentation, and collaborative dialogue. His work will begin with the use of archival material from ASKI (The Archives of Contemporary Social History), while metalworking techniques will be employed to produce original pieces that echo the visual language of the archives. The pieces that will serve as the starting point of an archival installation are to be made of steel—a material choice that not only ties back to the Chalivourgiki Steel factory but also symbolizes strength and permanence, inviting reflection on themes of erasure and resilience. Additionally, Fidetzis will be collaborating with Dr. Vangelis Karamanolakis, a professor of history at the University of Athens and author of the principal book on the files’ destruction. Together, they plan to examine how institutional control has transformed, by becoming increasingly abstract in recent decades.

In a nutshell, this project aims to serve as a platform for critically engaging with the intersection of materiality and power, questioning how control is both constructed and contested. The shift in traditional institutions of control raises a profound and central question: How can artists construct their material worlds that interrogate power structures, when power itself has become increasingly detached from matter? By reflecting on the destruction of material elements of power, “Undesirable Past” invites us to consider the ways in which control has evolved into something invisible yet omnipresent, challenging us to rethink how we resist and respond to it.

Before the official launch of the residency, I had already been in touch with the research team at the Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI). That initial contact proved invaluable, as they granted me access to original source material that became the foundation of my research.

It is well known that most of Greece’s 17 million political affiliation files—state dossiers documenting the political loyalties and activities of citizens—were destroyed in 1989. A relatively small number of files relating to prominent historical and political figures, however, remain in the archives of the Greek police. One of the country’s leading political figures of the twentieth century had previously requested a copy of his own file and donated it to ASKI for research and preservation. Access to this material paved the way for my own investigation.

The first stage of my project consisted of archival research, during which I sought to identify specific systems of classification within the file. Among the many documents it contained, I ultimately chose to focus on those relating to the subject’s surveillance by the security services. Through this material, I hoped not only to shed light on a brutal chapter of Greece’s recent history but also to explore questions that remain deeply relevant today.

My research revealed that the archive effectively documents two of the principal mechanisms through which authoritarian regimes exercise what is often described as ‘soft power’: the surveillance of individuals deemed politically suspect and the censorship of the press, which determines the information available to the public.