ANTONAKIS

Antonakis (b. 1971) is a Greek artist working with painting, photography and ceramics to explore the notion of myth: how does one build a myth ? How does it survive in time and how does its meaning change ? He extracts interior and psychological spaces from TV series and movies, using them to create new spaces through abstraction, distortion and a unique visual language referencing Greek modernism. He is interested in observing what one absorbs without realizing, what sort of images enter living rooms via the screen and how these are stored in the memory of the viewer and the collective consciousness. He does not want to create exact depictions but models of remembrances that question how the passing of time changes, the meaning of something, proving that what was once considered trashy can gain generation-defining status. It is not just time that has the power to do this but also Antonakis’ way of working: by taking what we know is trashy and by elevating it to another level, he fast-forwards the myth-making process, enabling us a glimpse into how future generations might see current TV series and movies. By exploring what a myth is, he participates in the myth building process himself. He has presented his work in solo and group exhibitions worldwide with most recent his solo exhibition Seven Songs at Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery in Athens (GR).