The series: Mythos
Manolis Anastasakos approaches worldly myths with consistency and artistic structure in his work. He essentially presents the archetypal forces of imagery at a level of abstraction, as well as the spiritual liberation at a level of pluralism. They are myths found in the depths of existence, glorifying all sorts of multi-layered inner heterotopias.
The Myths series is a general reflection of our world, shaped by the stories of mankind throughout time, and at the same time a specific mirror of the self. As the viewer – receiver analyses the works using sensory and spiritual cues, their details embellish the original image of the world. Man is made of stories and experiences throughout time. In Anastasakos work, we seek those stories in their most ancient form. A fresh, radical, contemporary vocabulary of art is embedded in his work.
His work is a bold approach that brings together what we perceived up until now as the two disparate ends of art. Abstraction and minimalism are combined with baroque elements and pluralism, in compositions of mythical depth. Each of these works of art, viewed merely as objects, are handled by the artist with freedom and at the same time with ascetic abstinence, therefore preserving a sense of higher, sacred struggle. The Mythos series, allows to the viewer, to redefine the way in which he interprets a work of art. These works become the incentive to merge archetypal stories with the nowness, in a fresh and artistic way. They invite our gaze and our spirit to take a journey in an artistic and almost Mythical sacred place.
The Mythos series is a maze-like straight line, shaped from what we all call effortlessly “life”. It induces the viewer, through the time of the artwork’s viewing, into a new vocabulary of art and worldly myths. Through distance, analysis and critical thinking undertaken by each viewer, the work reveals its hidden sides and its true nature, which eventually reflect the nature of the viewer himself.
Rino Sabella, Art commentator.
