Karagiozis from Ancient Greece to Contemporary Australia

Veteran puppeteer Kostas Zouganelis invites you to discover the Greek tradition of Karagiozis shadow puppets.

From Greek folklore to contemporary Australian culture – Zouganelis’ hand crafted puppets map the remarkable evolution of an art form deeply rooted in history.

Karagiozis was a popular form of entertainment during the late days of Ottoman-rule in the 19th century. Cheeky and satirical, the Karagiozis character aimed to lift audience’s spirit and offered hope in times of crisis after the Greek War of Independence.

Zouganelis is one of the last artists of Karagiozis Greek puppetry in Australia. He migrated from Piraeus, Greece to Sydney, Australia in 1962 and performed small Karagiozis theatre performances for the Australian-Greek community. During the 1970’s and 1980’s he performed in metropolitan and rural Greek community clubs and schools in New South Wales.

Zouganelis’s plays are based on themes about migrant life in Australia, and the conflict migrant parents’ face with their children such as; retaining mother tongue, traditions, and misunderstandings. His characters speak in Greek, English and sometimes ‘pidgin English’.

This exhibition will feature a large collection of Zouganelis’ hand crafted Karagiozis puppets.

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