Dimitris Efeoglou
Baraka Art Space presents the new solo exhibition by Dimitris Efeoglou at the Old Port of Spetses. Titled “On Vanishing Land”, the exhibition features a body of work with recent and new works, both small and large scale, as well as works with oil on canvas.
As the title suggests, his painting explores everything that can barely be discerned. In all of his works, there are traces of images rather than the images themselves – exploring undiscovered landscapes. His work provokes deep contemplation, urging us to consider: What drives our desire to travel? When and where do we find safety? Guided by our instincts, memories, and bodies, we embark on a journey into the unknown.
Originating from Northern Greece and deeply influenced by his childhood memories, Dimitris Efeoglou’s work draws our attention to the natural elements and imagery that played a decisive role in his life. The fresh soil, the sprawling fields, the harvest season, the ceaseless manual labor, and the furrowed earth are memories he transposes onto paper. The environments – landscapes he creates serve as subtle references. He entertains the idea that something ‘disappears’, drawing the viewer into a journey of discovery, where they trace their own path and summon personal memories and emotions. One does not need to have inhaled the scent of the earth or stood in a field; through Efeoglou’s landscapes, the voyage unfolds. They can travel through Efeoglou’s landscapes mainly through his process – through this time-consuming and painful process where the artist creates stormy landscapes – games of the unconscious that unlock our senses.
The paintings of the series “One Breath” evoke a spirit of travelling. They capture paths and strolls, transforming them into painted images through a unique and personal process.
As he describes, “Repetitive writing and neurotic gestures, dull and dense paint, matter added, removed, added and altered anew on wood, canvas and linen create a relationship between the natural landscape and the painted space”. The exhibition also features the series “A day in the garden”, a complete body of work with past and new productions from 2022 to 2023. This series is intricately tied to an imaginary voyage through an uncharted, fantastical landscape. The method of creation removes all traces of representational imagery. Guided by instinct, the works maintain a sense of spontaneity and the unpredictability of a gesture.
Paper, fabrics, pencils, oils, acrylics, and sharp sculptural needles are among the materials regularly employed by Efeoglou. Through continuous experimentation, he pushes their limits on paper surfaces, remarking, “I explore the materials to their very edge of endurance—they linger there, suspended.”
Visited Spetses, took photographs of the area of the Lighthouse and created another drawing especially for the exhibition - a landscape to be explored, inviting the viewer to activate their gaze. Tzannis composes his personal topography through successive layers of ink on Fabriano paper surfaces. The memory of the photograph remains blurred and accentuated by the process, while this technique gives the result of a surface that ultimately appears rough.
practice is linked to her interest in categories of the natural environment such as rock formations and landscapes. In her new work titled Soft Sculptures she explores the multiple possibilities of fabric in terms of painting, sculpture and design. In her works we find both the characteristics of geological formations and human bodies. As she points out, "I like to explore the properties of fabric and its various possibilities as a sculptural material. It's a compensation for the limits set by the hard materials I normally use."
The artist Eleni Zouni is fascinated by the process of measuring. Through automatic and repetitive movements she creates her own vocabulary, while still maintaining a natural process. Through her
works we discover words and letters and we gain access to her personal world. She writes, she leaves traces, marks and creates equal gaps and spaces. In Letterforms, the rhythmic circles could refer to the diffused light of a beacon steadily illuminating a dark horizon.
Presents the series 1992 over Spetses for the first time, it is however a typical example of her work since she is inspired by the paradox. Through her research she found that "in the second half of 1992, a small wave of unidentified flying objects was recorded in the triangle of Mount Didymos - Kranidi - Porto Heli - Costa - Spetses - Dokos." The series consists of three collages created with thread and vinyl and depicts her own exploration of recording and tracing a path of strange bodies. The artist intervenes upon the seascape with mysterious geometric surfaces at focal points and lines.
work consists of works on paper, collages and sculptural installations made of graphite. Graphite is one of the core elements of her work while she also examines the characteristics and properties of all materials, focusing on their various textures and the interaction between their surfaces. Created in 2022, Twofolds are collages where landscape/space is folded, fragmented and spatially reconstructed on different layers. In her work Shades, sculptural forms which are coated with graphite are transformed into fragments/fossils of leaves. They are exposed as dark spots and evoke forms that seem to originate from something ancient or prehistoric
Visiting hours
Every day except Tuesday, 20:00 - 01:00
