The art historian becomes the artist
During these repetitive and cold days of lockdown, I thought I’d take this time to introduce you to my own art! Growing up, I thought I didn’t have the right talent for visual arts. I figured - because I can’t sketch or draw a perfect picture with shadows and lines, then I must not have that creative talent. I think that also might have to do with the fact that I studied Renaissance art throughout university, where the most perfect depictions of real life are considered the most beautiful.
A few years ago when my focus shifted to graffiti and street art, I started to realize that more abstract, or less accurate real life representations could also be beautiful. My first experience with creating my own art was in Athens 2019, where my internship required me to create two of my own pieces for a collaborative mural. My first image was a hand-drawn recreation of an ancient Greek owl symbol, which was then pasted onto the wall. Although I enjoyed making that drawing, what I really loved was my second piece - a stencil of a swallow.
For some reason, unknown to me at the time, the swallow (helidoni) image spoke to me. I’ve come to realize that the first subconscious reason I picked the swallow is because whenever I visit my dad’s village, Kipourio, there’s a swallow’s nest right outside the house. The swallow is a bird that’s always moving around but knows where it’s home is and always returns. I feel like that represents me perfectly.
So, I use the swallow as a sort of signature and I put it on most of my pieces. I started creating my own art during the first lockdown in April 2020, and my artistic style has evolved a lot since then. I would say that my style reflects and draws inspiration from the streets of Athens - where I try to incorporate different materials and techniques like stencils with spray paint, stickers, acrylic paint and paint splatters onto a canvas to make it look as if it’s on the side of a building. Most of my pieces also use phrases from Greek poems and songs that resonate with me, like Λυπήσου εκείνους που δεν ονειρεύονται (Pity those who do not dream) by Nikos Kavvadias and Έφυγα για να ξαναγυρίσω (I left to go back), a quote written by my father Gus. My art expresses the idea of nostalgia for a time and a place that I have not experienced to its full potential - yet. It’s a way for me to feel connected to my Greek roots, while drawing inspiration from the streets of Athens, where I could wander for hours on end. It’s an outlet for my longing to be in Greece, my love for the music and art - a way for me to push my feelings outwards.
