Yorgos Papafigos "Reality of Paradox"

About

The first solo exhibition of Yorgos Papafigos entitled «Reality of Paradox» will present his new paintings and sculptures in mixed media, exploring the world created by the artist, a world far from realistic. He invites the viewer to engage with his work through paradoxical, strange landscapes that will feel familiar. This will happen because this body of work deals with the central themes, consciously and subconsciously, such as fertility, sex, death, time, distress, faith, that are employing human thought and life though an approach that is both spiritual and satirical.

The work of Yorgos Papafigos focuses on ancient and folk greek rites, taken from historical and religious myths and everyday experiences.  Through the destruction of images collected from different location and environments, the artist creates a visually controlled chaos. The archetypal element in Papafigos’ work tells a ritual that is religious, sexual, personal or artistic and is lived as an experience, a refuge from which adventures occur in the abstract and enigmatic landscapes created.

His new works constitute a proposal for the disclosure, the end of the world, expressing his landscapes, creating erotic or not fantasies that can be a satire or critique of everyday life, but paradoxically, all lead deeper in our aesthetic landscapes. The artist is not desperately looking to say something new, but to observe the world from his own, very special perspective and express a concern that plays with boundaries, dreams, and impulses, a serious entertainment between the sensual – aesthetic pleasure and the remains of time. Hence this great sense of freedom that come out of his work. The controlled chaos.

Yorgos Papafigos has presented his work in many group shows both in Greece and internationally. The artist graduated from the Fine Arts School in Thessaloniki and he lives and works in Thessaloniki.

Text: Sofia E. Bouratsis
Dr. of Aesthetics and Art Sciences