Tasos Chonias Solo Exhibition

Kapopoulos Fine Arts Limassol Gallery presents, for the first time in Cyprus, the new body of work of the Greek artist Tasos Chonias, in the presence of the artist. The exhibition will be inaugurated by the Mayor of Limassol, mr. Nicos Nicolaides, on Tuesday the 4th of June, at 7.30pm.

With the nostalgic, atmospheric mood being the predominant element of his work, Tasos Chonias manages to create a personal connection with the viewer by inviting him to indoor spaces that are reminiscent of his own; this is also the starting point and the emotional origin of his compositions. By recounting visual stories that take place in lonely rooms of neoclassical houses, he captures maxims of many lives, from people who have passed through, who lived there, who created there. Old furniture and scattered objects seem to capture a variety of moments, which seem to be stuck in time. In his work, one might observe motifs appearing again and again to create visual poems, reflections of the way he perceives the world around him; a thread - the beginning and the end, old neon signs - our need for romance and the adherence to a glorious past, open windows - a way out, old armchairs - a strong sense of human presence, even if no one is actually there. Every object is pulsating with the energy of a story.

The dramatic shading (chiaroscuro) that he uses in his paintings has a symbolic nuance: the divine origin of light is glorifying the subjects, the simple, the mundane, the everyday. The interest of the artist focuses on the quest for the superlative and the eternal truth that exists after the end of our earthly journey. One might say that Chonias creates inner and esoteric landscapes that express specific mental states and that are interpreted psychoanalytically as landscapes of the human soul. His paintings reveal dark interiors, which are invaded by rays of light, indirectly parallelising them with people agonising over their existential state. His research is expressed in his paintings through the rendering of light, the source of which is not always revealed, implying its transcendent origins. In the opposite of light, the darkness in his works, does not indicate the mere absence of light, but rather the autonomous power that keeps the absent protagonists of his works in an eternal state of expectation, immobility and at the same time readiness for the coming revelation.

Tasos Chonias began painting at a very young age; at the age of 16 he painted frescoes in commercial and non-commercial spaces, and he later turned to stage design, film poster design and the conservation of old frescoes. Since 2005 he has been focusing on creating his own visual identity, mainly through oil paintings on canvas.

In 2011, he received the second prize among 5,777 contestants in an international competition, which was organised by the Saatchi Gallery in London. He had already participated twice in the Saatchi Gallery competitions before the 2011 award, where he held the 10th and 8th place respectively.

He presented his first solo exhibition at Agathi Gallery in 2006 and the second one at Art Thessaloniki in 2016. He has participated in many group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.

Today his paintings are being auctioned at major Auction Houses across Europe, including Bonhams in London.

Opening Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 15:00 - 19:00
Saturday: 11:00 - 14:00