IDEAL LINES | Ioannis Lassithiotakis: presented by Varvara Roza Galleries and The Blender Gallery
In his exhibition "Ideal Lines", Ioannis Lassithiotakis presents mainly large-scale works, austere in their rendering and focused on the conceptual and aesthetic importance of monochrome surfaces on which a primordial, archetypal element of human expression is often inscribed: the line.
Varvara Roza Galleries and The Blender Gallery are proud to present "Ideal Lines", the first major UK solo exhibition by the renowned artist Ioannis Lassithiotakis.
Opening hours:
Monday - Sunday 11.30am - 8.00pm
In his exhibition "Ideal Lines", Ioannis Lassithiotakis presents mainly large-scale works, austere in their rendering and focused on the conceptual and aesthetic importance of monochrome surfaces on which a primordial, archetypal element of human expression is often inscribed: the line.
The works on show come in two series: in one the paint is spread on the surface in an abstract manner to produce pious monochromatic rites; the other series seems to be defined by drawing, with the outline sometimes surrounding the entire canvas or elsewhere, with large shapes of black and white coexisting in a harmonious yet enigmatic relationship with one another.
This new body of work reflects the quests of Ioannis Lassithiotakis on issues pertaining to human relations, death and absence, and also explore the very definition of art itself, presented in a mature way in terms of both content and aesthetic. His compositions, thoroughly researched and conceptually apt, have increasingly attracted the attention of international galleries and major Museums in Europe, and have gardnered extensive press coverage,
Ioannis Lassithiotakis aims for an abstract universality: he uses the simplest visual materials because he wants to broach the universal subjects he is dealing with, while addressing the widest possible audience.
Probably as an act of resistance to the dominant verbose culture that continuously attacks us with moving and spectacular images and information, the artist chooses to speak laconically, with austere means, with pictures that do not assault the eye and which, on first viewing, seem naked, static, but nevertheless involve dynamism and rich symbolism. Calling on the viewer us to regain the patience of observation and the ability to understand the simple relations between the basic building blocks of the world, at least in the ways that artistic creation tries to convey them, he defends the value and importance of the work of painting against the inflation of cheap and fast images.
