On Friday, May 31, at 8.30 am, in the Historical Archive-Museum of Hydra, the opening of the solo exhibition of Yannis Efthymiou, entitled “Dampen” will take place

Art historian Louisa Karapidaki observes: “Yannis Efthymiou presents a new section of his visual art entitled “Dampen”, a well-known technical term that indirectly refers to painting with color paper pulp. This time he chooses the thick pulp material with its rough texture as an expressive medium and paints with the color pulp as a color palette with the same skill as he works with any painting material. His works have colour as a basic building block, sometimes spreading it out in succession in perfectly harmonious images with an intense realistic tone, and sometimes exploiting strong tonal contrasts and combining them with figurative juxtapositions to create tension and a dramatic sense. His themes, landscape paintings and anthropocentric compositions with figurative rendering, move in the realm of a real and sometimes fictitious world. There are also many autobiographical references in the visual narratives, with images of memory crystallized, fleeting or fragmented images systematically incorporated into his illustrations.”

The artist himself claims: “In this phase of my work I am exploring the limits of pulp, both as a material and as a way of expression and thinking. This engagement has emerged through subversion, as a container for channeling my artistic energy. Color and drawing succumbed to the needs of the material, and so I began to discover new, increasingly personal, avenues. To this day, I strive to keep the flame of creativity alive and try to remain open to experimentation, always aiming for a spiritual alertness and purity. My painting remains in agreement with my deepest existential concerns, which is why it is constantly ‘moving’, avoiding definitive positions and classifications.”

Opening Hours: Daily 09:00-16:00   &  19:30- 21:30

Exhibition Curator : Louisa Karapidaki, Art Historianm
Organized by :  General State Archives/ Historical Archive-Museum of Hydra
Address: Hydra, 18040
More Information: Tel/FAX: 2298052355