The Phantom Deer | Acrylic on Canvas | 79'' x 89'' | 2015
Artist Statement: The series “Cosmic Unity” came from an intrinsic need to unite the complexities of the world and the intricate forces that shape it. The interrelation of world myths (outer space, digital age, architecture, Eastern and Western civilizations, aerial views, geometry, flora and fauna, patterns, repetition, obsession, symbols, numbers and texts), they all feed my process. The use of black color as a background emerged from a fascination for Kandinsky’s early works painted on a dark canvas, influenced by Bavaria’s folk art. I sought to create a sense of drama, bringing bright colors to stand out, as seen in folk art and embroideries. The presence of black corresponds with eternal silence and darkness at the end of life. Going against it, hope rises from within the canvas as bright light, as an instant flash reminiscent of a fabricated universe in constant motion and change. The result is suggestive: a cluster of various microcosms inviting the viewer to explore both the parts of the whole, as well as the sum of the parts.
Alexis Avlamis was born in Athens, Greece in 1979. He received his BFA (hons) in Painting and Mosaic from the Athens School of Fine Arts. In 2004 he was accepted in RISD for an MFA in Furniture Design. Avlamis has been shortlisted for Bloom Award, Cologne and was twice a laureate of the International Emerging Artist Award, which saw his works showcased in Dubai and Brussels, respectively. He has attended artist residencies in Vermont Studio Center, in Beijing Studio Center, and in the Arteles Creative Center, Finland. Publications and interviews include Fresh Paint Magazine (International Issue 11), The Best of IEAA award (PixaLib), the Hesa in-print (Helsinki), Mamut Art Project (Istanbul), the Drawing Center’s Viewing Program and Art21’s: “Inside the Artist’s Studio” blog (January 2010). He has exhibited internationally and works may be found in private collections in Denmark, England, Turkey, Greece, USA and at the Henan Art Museum in China. Through improvisation, intuition and by tapping into a stream of consciousness, he constructs “landscapes of the mind” aiming at a cosmic unity, where everything, existent and fabricated is connected. To view more of his work, please visit: alexisavlamis.com.