"Figure and Form: George Petrides and Nassos Daphnis", Art Exhibition at the Consulate General of Greece in New York

Finding the way back to normalcy, after a long hiatus due to the pandemic-related restrictions, the Consulate General of Greece in New York took the initiative to restart cultural events, beginning yesterday (December 16th), with the art exhibition "Figure and Form: George Petrides and Nassos Daphnis."

In his initial remarks, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Konstantinos Koutras, highlighted the artistic value of the exhibition andreferred to the figurative sculptor George Petrides and the late abstract painter Nassos Daphnis, by noting their unique interconnectedness: The former, who is contemporary looks to the past, while the latter always looked to the future.

Paul Laster, the curator of the exhibition, commented about art pieces of both artists during the opening, saying: "Taking a traditional approach to figurative sculpture, Petrides mines the past to create something new and when making his Pixel Fields/Aegean Series paintings, Daphnis tapped into new technology to update modernist abstraction. Petrides' sculpted figures are perceptively born from the primordial mud of ancient cultures and modified in the artist's hands, whereas Daphnis cleverly combined computer-generated graphics from an Atari ST with his particular painting process".

George Petrides underlined that this exhibition is meaningful for him, as a Greek American, and he explained that he makes abstracted figurative sculpture, in sizes ranging from a few inches to over life-size, which combines the timeless with the contemporary. His creative process often starts with a live model and a historical inspiration, often from the classical or Hellenistic periods. His goal is not just to refer to the antique but to use that as an entry point to achieve a sculpture that conveys life and emotions.

During the opening of the exhibition, Demetri Daphnis, son of the artist NassosDaphis, and Richard Taittinger, gallerist, worldwide representative of Daphnis Estate, talked about the art style of Nassos Daphnis, explaining that his works in this exhibition are from his "Pixel Fields/Aegean Series." They emphasized that Daphnis tapped into new technology to update modernist abstraction.

It is noted that figurative sculptor George Petrides and abstract painter Nassos Daphnis were both born in Greece (Athens 1964 and Krokees 1914, respectively) and made their way to New York City at young ages. Both chose to live and make art in New York City; however, their frequent visits to their homeland, Greece, served as an infinite source of inspiration for both of them.

Petrides' sculpted figures are perceptively born from the primordial mud of ancient cultures and modified in the artist's hands, whereas Daphnis cleverly combined computer-generated graphics from an Atari ST with his own particular painting process.

The exhibition runs from December 16th, 2021, to January 20th, 2022, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, except weekends and holidays. Upon entrance, visitors must present their vaccination certificate and their ID, while the use of mask is mandatory in line with local guidelines.

You can view photographic material on the following links:

https://twitter.com/GreeceinNewYork/status/1471662806961381376
https://www.facebook.com/100064563737586/posts/273123161516473/?d=n
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXkQ78rOdeV/