Stelios Ermogenides - "I"

Isnotgallery presents Stelios Ermogenides’ first solo exhibition titled “Ι”, which will open on Friday 18 November 2011 and will be on until 5 December 2011.

The works on display bring to mind doodles in a youthful-spirited artist’s sketchbook, and are inspired by the practices of artists such as Ralf Steadmann, David Shrigley and Zak Smith. The works presented at the exhibition, as a whole, deal with the “I” (the self) and are derived from his personal angst which in it's turn is directly related with the current events at the particular period of time that the work was being made. This is attested by both the collage elements from magazine pictures that the artist intertwines with his graphic style lines and the notes in the compositions which are either dated or bare keywords referring to a specific time period. Hence, the works acquire a diary-like form and become evidences of a specific time and place.

The varying styles that make up the pieces on display function as different “languages” that can be read and interpreted by the viewer in his own way. Ermogenides does not hesitate to expose refined aspects of himself through his work, as well as characteristics which are “fermenting” in his subconscious. While Ermogenides’ drawings are predominantly the product of a well-thought plan, some sketches appear simplistic and seem to have been created on an impulse so as to capture a fleeting moment’s strong feeling on paper. The artist’s texts, which appear almost as drawing elements in the compositions, offer the viewer a more tangible way into the artist’s psyche.

For the title of the exhibition, Ermogenides writes: “Everything has as a starting point the artist’s personality, his/her perceptions, experiences and worldview. The need to create and express oneself, as well as the search for stimuli, lead the artist to impose a monitoring system that allows one to experience and at the same time evaluate. That which transforms the artist’s work from utterly personal into something that is addressed to, and tangible for, an audience, is subjective to the artist’s ability to detach from the core of his being in the process of creation. In other words, one must be able to function as both the creator and the viewer of the work. In cases where the theme of the subject matter allows it, the connection between the latter and the audience can be achieved more easily, since the means of expression make it easier for the audience to identify with the work of the artist. The quest (of the process to narrate an artistic creation) takes place at the points where the work is juxtaposed and differentiates from the norm, the socially acceptable and the expected. And even though this crates a dialogue, or even becomes food for thought, the non-acceptance from the audience may easily determine it as both detached and utterly personal”.

Opening: 18 November 2011 at 8 pm
Duration: 18 November until 5 December 2011

For more information: Andros Efstathiou (99569498)

Opening Hours
Monday – Friday: 10:00-13:00 & 16:00-20:00
Saturday: 10:00-13:00