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The Twisted Odyssey - new works by Konstantinos Patsios.
The Blender Gallery presents the solo exhibition «The Twisted Odyssey» of new works by Konstantinos Patsios.
The exhibition, curated by Michaella Vergotti, will be hosted at the Underdog Gallery in London from the 4th to the 10th of June 2015.
In the series titled The Twisted Odyssey, the Homeric epic poem is the starting point for the creation of 24 artworks, just as many as Homer’s 24 rhapsodies. The works are shaking down conventionalities as they readjust the meaning of various situations described in the original Odyssey.
The artist perceives the epic poem retrospectively and he places the it in a artistic frame, which at first glance does not have any apparent similarities with the original Odyssey. In fact, based on his personal experiences, the viewer is called to recognize, to decrypt and finally to relate the symbolisms not only between the artist’s work and the original poem, but also between the artist’s work and the viewer’s personal voyage – just like a contemporary Odysseus.
Patsios art questions the contemporary socio-political life and seems to become an artistic manifesto, which points to its creators’ anxious concerns about the current affairs.
The deep understanding of the history of art and the influences from expressionism and surrealist automatism, as well as conceptual art and pop culture, are filtered and revealed through the mixed media technique which characterizes both his paintings and sculptural pieces.
Patsios’ technique includes the exceptional use of line which he comfortly and at the same time dynamically repeats in all his work, irrespectively of the theme. The use of colour, which he applies in different densities, in combination with spontaneous integration of seemingly mismatched materials in the composition, result in hybrid-works.
Through those technical practises, and through the verbal terms and the symbolic forms he incorporates in is work, one painting of his may include many allegories which correspond to subliminal meanings and which shape the moral and spiritual ideas that Patsios wishes to communicate.
The piece “Kropotkin had a dream” is a clear example of how the artist combines the colorful child-like images with the grim political landscape.
The “Endless Rhapsody” is key-piece of the exhibition and is a very good example of the multitude of the media and allegories which characterize his work.
Patsios work embeds references which range from Marcel Duchamp’s “Ready Mades” to Franz West’s collages. West once said: “ It does not matter what art looks like, but what its usefulness can be” – and that exactly is the artist’s anticipation: To encourage the viewer to be released and to see himself through the art.
