Kostas Emmanouilidis inaugurates his first solo exhibition, Aquascaping, at Batagianni Gallery.

All the works presented are connected to the aquarium world, but in an indirect rather than descriptive manner. What draws his interest is the creative construction of a microcosm and its contents. A great source of influence for his work is the use of photographs available online; and although they become the starting point of his creation, they are not at all copied.

Most of his paintings are processed through non-traditional art methods. In fact, Emmanouilidis belongs to the digital revolution generation, he is among the artists who were initiated to the use of digital media for the purposes of artistic creation. He uses a digital airbrush for the completion of his paintings. His tablet, therefore, transforms into the artist’s modern painting brush and palette. His aquatic world is inspired by video games, Lego, as well as by the constant quest of the role of those playful influences to his imaginative paintings.

Rocks, tree branches as well as other material indispensable for the ecosystem of the aquarium can be found in Emmanouilidis’ universe of creation. There are only traces of living organisms in his romanticed and fictive habitats; he focuses mostly on the ethical aspects of the aquarium and of games, in general. Through the designing of this system, multiple references to the world of modern architecture and of the greenhouse—there where nature reigns—are vital.

In his paintings, blue and green tinges predominate. Throughout his work an ecological concern can be traced. In this exhibition, various small-sized drawings are presented; the fragmentary quality of his creative process leaves plenty of space for nature to rise and reign.

The artist also attempts to “weave” the space of scientific laboratories. This very thematic area is evident in his larger-scale paintings where digital painting transcribed onto paper makes a huge difference. The wild aquatic life that predominates both within and outside the hydrosphere is redesigned through blurring and erasure effects, additions and cutting, where color transparency and image fragmentariness together with a plethora of minor details lead to a complex system of improvisation where the aquarium is only the initial drive. After all, even Internet is a vast “plant nursery” of information.

Christina Petrinou
Art historian and curator