Gifts of Poseidon

In the context of Posidonia 2016, the most prestigious maritime event internationally, Maersk Broker Ltd. and Chartworld Shipping Co. co-hosted a unique event at the Blender Gallery, on the 8th of June. The exhibition “Gifts of Poseidon” was curated and presented specifically for this event. The artists participating in the show are: Philip Tsiaras, Dionisios Fragias and Nick Nikolaou. Philip Tsiaras, an established and internationally acclaimed Greek artist, lives and works in New York. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions and has won many awards, while a lot of his work can be found in private and museum collections. He participates in the exhibition “Gifts of Poseidon” with artwork from his series “Acqua Antica”. According to the artist, the “ancient waters” symbolize the beginning of creation. Through his paintings and sculptures, he transforms the form of the elements of water and light. He is always in pursuit of new ways to highlight the power of water, in life and in art, through his use of colors and media. In the hyper real microcosm of Tsiaras, light alternates with water as if in a ritual. Tsiara’s artistic practice is not limited to one technique. On the contrary, he experiments with glass and bronze in his sculpture-making and mixed media in his paintings, creating a unique collection, which covers a wide range of expressive media. Dionisios Fragias lives and works in New York. For the exhibition “Gifts of Poseidon” he created a series of work entitled “Vessel”. The painted representations on the hydro-cut metal plates, tell stories different to those traced in the outline of the aluminum surfaces. The artist found inspiration in his childhood memories from Kefallonia, where he was born – an island with rich tradition and culture in shipping. Son of a captain, he used to draw ships from a very young age. The ships’ forms would constantly change, becoming a vessel to his imagination and a way of artistic expression. Ships obtain a personality, as Fragias maintains the stories he would come up with as a child. Hybrids of sculptural pieces and paintings, the “Vessel” artworks depict seascapes and emblems which are connected to the shipping world. Silhouettes of dominating ships, propellers and pirate flags are combined with abstract, organic compositions. Νick Nikolaou, an established fashion photographer, has collaborated with famous fashion designers and stylists, in fashion magazines and in the advertising industry generally. He has participated in several group and solo exhibitions in London and Athens. In the group exhibition “Gifts of Poseidon”, he presents the series “Liquid Dreams”, in which the expressive bodies of the -always- female subjects seem to be in total harmony with the surrounding underwater environment. The dramatic light temperatures of the surrounding space, and the contrast on the shading of the almost sculptured clothes of the models are highlighted through the artist’s choice to print the photographs on metallic mounts. As external beams of light reflect on the aluminum surface, more movement and the sense of theatre is added to the artworks. He masterfully sets up dramatic scenes, in the context of which all movement, natural and and lοοse, leads the viewer into a state of visual consumption of the beautiful.