Phillipos Theodorides: Misremembered Memories

A tabloid format “newspaper” catalogue, published on the occasion of an exhibition of the same name at Zoumboulakis Contemporary in which Theodorides has approached painting as a physical construction putting an emphasis on the idea of the structure. Patterns, grids and lines emerge in different sizes and palettes. Deep fields of color are interrupted by chunks of white space. He has developed a wide range of tones, building on the inspiration he draws from life in a city enmeshed in patterns of urban life. Looking at his pigment-rich canvases, we could indeed be looking into the framework of a modern metropolis or at the view from his studio in Monastiraki and into the shadows buildings cast.

In his new body of paintings, accidental drips and splatters become an integral part of the work, while every element is carefully considered, placed in exactly the right position, at the right size and the proper angle. All is revealed here: the artist’s elevation of graphic imagery, his sense of humor, his constant struggle between figuration and abstraction, and between quick and meticulous composition. Theodorides integrates symbols like the circle (drawn directly onto the canvas from his drums) as visual elements with other entities like abstracted letters or body parts communicating complex ideas with a refreshing simplicity. His arrangement of colourful forms and concentric circles becomes both an illustrative image and a dynamic composition translating his desire to defamiliarize the ordinary: the urban view of Athens from his studio, images of half-destroyed street posters, the shadows of buildings and ancient Greek symbols.