A human thought, which naturally took shape through art, initially in legends and then with material substance, from the frescoes in Egypt, the sketches in medieval books, the hagiographies to the red dragons of Japan and China. The Dragon unites rather than divides, it may be a form that imposes fear, but ultimately, it imposes order on people. One of my comments, through the figure of the Dragon, was to recall the place of man in the world. Year after year, we become more and more anthropocentric, selfish and greedy, we often become parts of systems and do not stand up, we are mere observers of events and we are locked in our own microcosm. The Dragon landed in a gallery, would later land in a public space, with more audiences, such as a museum, reminding us that human arrogance can turn its creations against it, just as it did in Frankenstein.
The dragon is a symbol of evil, in both the medieval chivalric and Christian traditions. In the Orient, it symbolizes supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge. In most traditions, it is the embodiment of chaos and untamed nature. What kind of definition are you giving to the dragon sculptures you create?
The legends and fairy tales of the Western and Eastern tradition have presented a specific interpretation, which has now passed into the realm of fantasy or even technology. Can we make modern legends that concern us? Definitely yes! The Dragon can represent the generation of young people who resist modern conformism, the irreconcilable who do not submit, the different, generally the exiles of modern society who chose to be unique and with a subversive identity. The symbol of the dragon is a human creation and should concern man and not nature. Even then, history shows how people wanted to make nature part of their domination to control other people. They exiled the dragon, bullying people, to incite their actions. Greek tradition and history are integral parts of my work, I can’t avoid them, they have taught me many things. But I can criticize, bring forward my own views, my own forms that are an amalgam of nature-technology, present-past.
I think I asked more questions than answers with my work. I made sure not to impose my own interpretation on things and let the audience choose what to take from my work and me and what thoughts to make. The dragon is something very important, that’s why I chose it, because it opens up discussions about many fields, even the field of science, sustainability or even justice.
In past interviews, you mentioned that plastic has a longer duration than marble or other raw materials. Could you expand this rationale?
Everything around us is made of plastic, even our dreams. I believe that plastic can be said to be the modern marble. It sounds extreme, but in Greece gradually begins to appear lack of marble. Plastic can be found everywhere, it is non-biodegradable. It harms the environment, but it created the need to use it every day. The marble can eventually end up in dust. But plastic, no matter how much you burn it, no matter how much you corrode it, will remain something. It is an incredibly machined material, a lot of energy has been consumed to make and ultimately, not unduly. We can’t get rid of it with anything from our lives, it’s everywhere, from wrapping cookies to space itself. Because of course, we made sure to leave our imprint there as well. Plastic is the imprint of man on this planet. Knowing that plastic is made of oil and knowing at the same time that at some point the oil deposits will decrease to disappear, I find that plastic will stay, because its production and abandonment is so great, that even in this extreme scenario, I will have materials to make art.
There is no universal definition of “success.” Everyone has their individual vision of what it means to be fulfilled. Who is yours?
Success is staying grounded, putting your feet firmly on the ground, no matter how much others inflate your being for little things you do every day. Staying grounded and humble is very difficult in a self-centered world like the one we live in today, that of self-promotion and self-affirmation. Success is about being less selfish, being criticized and becoming better, being let by others to impose yourself and not imposing yourself. Success is a few seconds away from just a firework or a time-spanning story.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am preparing a new work, with renewed materials and textures, but also sizes and will appeal to a more expanded audience. Each time, I make sure to do something new and unexpected. I like to keep the audience watching me on their toes, to subvert.