ART-PRESENTATION: Dimitris Tantanozis, Isolation

Born in Thessaloniki in 1965 Dimitris Tantanozis is a multidimensional artist and poet. His work has a charged sensitive emotional dimension, as the human presence is highlighted by its absence. The choice of his expressive media and his insistence on avoiding any color, is giving emphasis to the emotional intensity that his work causes.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Dimitris Tantanozis

Tough the work-installation in Dimitris Tantanozis’s solo exhibition “Isolation” in the emblematic space of Yeni Camii in Thessaloniki is created a poetic relationship that does not involve either lyricism, exaggeration or emotion, although it reflects a daily human history of the murder of a woman τηατ was selling flowers in nightclubs. The artist by removing the concept of weight makes the object to function as a monument-memory, as well as repeating the object he creates successive matches and associations. His works, look emblematic and they are, but at the same time they are relieved from the material weight, this is really a new balance achieved by Dimitris Tantanozis. As the Chairman of AICA-Hellas (International Association of Art Critics)-Emmanuel Mavrommatis says “Dimitris Tantanozis thinks images using words. The distinctiveness of this work is that it employs the references made by words as the syllables for the perception of successive images that are formed as sets, each time from the contextual fragments of words-images. These total perceptions constitute syllogisms, being thinking images. However, they are not syllogisms that would function as the syntactical associations of a sentence and would then have constituted, for the viewer of the work, a homely reference to a familiar, daily scope of practical life. They are, rather, the associations of multiple combinations of associations, which are themselves, in turn, the associations of other, also multiple, associations that follow from the previous ones. A perspectival complexity of references is thus announced. This understanding will become clearer should we image the artist working deductively, namely not beginning with what he would like to articulate, as the general idea and the schedule for the quest towards the application of his artistic conduct, as such is adjusted to that general idea, but begins from the question regarding what would ensue from one – any one – initial formulation. This initial, original formulation is arbitrary, but is also that individual part which is compelled to have a reason (to have a cause), to expand to the logical conclusions that follow from it, whatever such may be. Its consequences shall justify it or render it null. But this first articulation also constitutes the artist’s arbitrary – axiomatic assertion”. The exhibition is accompanied by a sound environment, with compositions inspired by the poems of Dimitris Tantanosis, and recited by him. In the recordings participated the musicians: Antonis Aniseggos, Grigoris Tantanozis, Despina Tantanozi, Thodoris Patsalidis, Iordanis Athanasiadis, Katerina Tantanozi, Lefteris Angouridakis, Marina Tantanozi, Nikos Bardis and Pavlos Georgiadis.

Sound samples: Garyfallia: Music: Antonis Aniseggos, Lyrics & recitation: Dimitris Tantanozis, Αikaterini Tina: Music: Nikos Bardis, Lyrics & recitation: Dimitris Tantanozis

Info: Yeni Camii (Old Archaeological Museum), 30 Archaeologikou Mouseiou Street, Thessaloniki, Duration 9/4-9/5/19, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-16:00, Sat 11:00-17:00