NEW COMERS: Yiannis Kaminis

I met Yiannis Kaminis in 5th Art Thessaloniki Art Fair, he is distinguishing for his personality, but also the way he approaches art which is absolutely humanitarian. In his own artworks Abstraction does not refer only to terms we already know from the history of contemporary art, but on the one hand is combined with psychology, which is a part of his studies and practices professionally and on the other to metaphysics since he is also an energy healer. So his painting is an alloy between visible and invisible… for this reason it touched me deeply… this is his own path, which from today we will follow and coexist with…

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Yiannis Kaminis Archive

What was your first experience with art? What made you want to become an artist?

Having to deal with a personal crisis, I discovered that art was the only refuge I could find to survive it. Painting became the way to express what could not be said. It allowed a space for me to connect inner pieces of myself with the world. I was amazed by the free flow energy manifesting in form, connecting spirit with matter and giving life to the energy of archetypes active in my system. This ultimately became my way of life. Later on, I discovered I could do this for other people and help them with their own existential issues through my art. I discovered that painting is a manifestation of both conscious and unconscious life and at the same time an act of balance in personal and hopefully global terms. Today, I focus on vibrations, ideas, music, people and phenomena to create positive and sometimes cathartic imagery that holds a multifaceted meaning.

What are the key themes and messages behind your work?

My work could not be separate from my biography. Having a background in communication, psychoanalysis and energy healing my painting themes entail catalytic elements of all. Driven from the need to connect worlds and realms while investigating life at a natural existential level, my art series are titled: Edge Perception, Joyful Encounter, Eternal Wisdom, Transcendent Freedom, Abundance, Thy Will, States of Existence, New Life, Time Travel, Paradox, Indigo Souls and Endless Summer. The latest series is titled Ether.

Your work was recently presented in the 5th Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Fair, what is the theme of the Ether series?

When the pandemic started I asked for spiritual guidance and I received a clear answer. The message is “we are safe in high vibration”. This gestated the art series Indigo. Ether is the latest art series presenting our connection with the divine from the view point of human consciousness. Spirit Weaver is the first piece created, expressing how creator and creations are of the same energy. Having presented it to visitors in Art Thessaloniki it was clear to me that it holds the global message “κατ’ εικόνα και καθ’ ομοίωση’’ “as above so below”. Turning to spirit for guidance is a secondary message particularly relevant as the pandemic crisis continues.

Which other piece of the ether series speaks to your heart?

The piece which astounds me the most and thrills me to the core, is titled “Sacred Secret”. The novelty and realization it brings is the discovery that although I painted 6 separate paintings in different periods as stand-alone pieces, I realized that placed together they comprise one piece with six parts.  I knew then, that a Sacred Secret was revealed. To be specific, in our consciousness we may experience ourselves to be separate from other people, however we are all connected in humanity – a totality of unique parts, a unified organism. Just like a in forest where every tree contributes to the health and longevity of the trees next to it and eventually the whole forest, we are also contributing as individuals to the energy vibration of our species in our times. Being more conscious of our own well-being as a means to change the world, is an eye opener.

Could you tell us a bit about your artistic approach?

My work is abstract painting with acrylic colors on canvas. Each painting is signed in the back as most of them can be hanged from different sides and allow a new form and interpretation. The paintings have a 3D effect, some of them with a heavy paste and some are varnished. I follow an intuitive and meditative process which begins with choosing the colors. For example, if I paint for an individual I will focus on the colors of their energy field and choose the ones which are most dominant. These colors represent the presiding qualities and/or blessings and challenges the person has in the specific period of time (sometimes it could be for a lifetime). Then I place my focus on the individual and I start the abstract painting as mediator of what is to be expressed. The free flow of energy develops forms, shapes, figures, archetypes, symbols and signs, which, as it has been proven every time, are connected with the life story of the person. The painting process is occasionally accompanied by music. I follow the same process and technique of single brushstrokes, for more generic themes focusing on ideas, phenomena, locations feelings and vibrations.

First Publication: www.dreamideamachine.com
© Interview-Efi Michalarou