Psychedelia, or else to manifest one’s soul, deriving from the ancient greek words ψυχή (=psyche, meaning soul) and δήλος (=delos, meaning to manifest). The exhibition Reflections on Psychedelia, which opened its doors on Tuesday night at Christina Androulidaki’s CAN Gallery, is trying to approach psychedelia compared to abstraction, via the works of 6 artists and the means each one of them is using. According to her, some counterpart effort has never taken place before, apart from presentations of its mass consumption products, such as posters or disc covers.
The installation-totem by Eleni Kotsoni, Korumbo, Guardian Spirit, can be seen even before entering the gallery. It is standing in the center of the room, as if it were its guardian-angel. The artist, inspired by archetypal spaces of Oceania, is conveying their magical ambiance, through the knitted ribbons, her colour.
Once inside the gallery, the viewer can watch Yorgos Stamkopoulos painting, New Reign of Power. He is also presenting a second painting, called Green Heaven. They are both named after the songs that inspired them. Bright contrasting colours are sprayed on the canvas with an airbrush and create two works of art that recall Andy Warhol’s psychedelic light shows.
The five works of German artist Pius Fox, is an ensemble of geometric compositions, in mild tones. Being simultaneously a sitar performer, is something that has influenced these small formats, which can be characterized by their flow and tempo.
Indonesian artist Yudi Noor’s compositions are really special. He is using wrapping paper, canvas, fabric, fiber and such diverse sources, in order to activate the viewer and play with the reflections created.
John Klechner is presenting compositions of ink, acrylics, enamel and paper on vinyl LP records. His collages are a combination of motives and images, playing with the viewer’s eye and perception.
Dean Spunt is a member of the experimental punk band NO AGE. He is participating in the exhibition with a live performance, scheduled for the 8th of June in the gallery, a sound piece and a series of his notes. By exploring the sense of hearing and how each one can perceive sound, he is really interested in the psychedelic metamorphosis of incorporeal to material.
The exhibition, which will be running until the 14th of June, is escaping the essence of “psychedelic art” of the 60s, and is presenting a highly contemporary look towards its utopic images, through personal perceptions and notions such as non-human conception.
CAN Gallery, 42 Anagnostopoulou str, Kolonaki 10673, Athens, 210 3390833, www.can-gallery.com
Pius Fox, www.piusfox.com
NO AGE, noagela.org
