It is an exhibition inspired by life itself. Landscapes, still lifes, people and animals are rendered with an almost surreal rawness.
Sianti Gallery on Friday 24 November 2023 at 19.00 opened the solo exhibition of Christos Antonaropoulos entitled “Depression and Excitement ” – Painting. It is an exhibition inspired by life itself. Landscapes, still lifes, people and animals are rendered with an almost surreal rawness. That is why the faces shown in the foreground are recognizably familiar with their physical features distorted, however, most of the time. This is also a way of proving that each of us has his own role on the stage of life.
This symbolically violent but artistic projection of everyday people and scenes of life is passionately defended by collectors and “sensitive ‘consumers’ of art”, as the artist himself calls them. Characteristically, Mr. Tsiflakos underlines: “…Antonaropoulos, remaining faithful to the values that have characterized his route to date, his recent works are imbued with clear elements of social criticism and reflection. With a strongly expressionistic writing that nevertheless presses firmly on his proven design skill, he manages to “tickle” the mind and soul of both the unsuspecting and the suspecting viewer, but also to evoke feelings in return. Violent scenes with protagonists outcasts of society children early hope, haunted women and law enforcement agencies, alternate with decidedly calmer images of interior spaces, psychic insight, and patriotic uplift…”
After all, the works of Antonaropoulos are a torrent of emotions. They live their own lives in their own time, which is characterized by realism. Possibly cynical too. Christos paints with dedication and skill at the same time that acts of violence or even love fluctuate between the real and the chimera, between melancholy and dream. In this way, each of us participates both in time and in the work itself. In essence, he becomes a shareholder in the entire process of creating the project. Christos’s works, however, do not reveal the time it took him to create them. They flow into him, capturing emphatic feelings, which we dare not share. The almost unspeakable, but absolutely true. The artist himself emphasizes his relationship with art: “…I paint like a diary, recording with forced consistency, feelings and experiences. Art for me is a sacred mystery. I feel lucky that he has chosen me. On the other hand, I am not one of those blessed people who draw beautifully and effortlessly. I am anxious, tired, stressed most of the time. I don’t know what I want to do and what I want to say. Then I get excited and hopeful, confused and unconfused. In the end something starts to happen and the fears, anxieties, doubts and hardships gain value. Then I begin to dance passionate tangos with God”.