KOSTAS EFIMIDIS

FORMS OF

EXISTENCE

Under the auspices of the Consulate General of

the Russian Federation in Thessaloniki

Kostas Efimidis was born in 1962. Since the early

years of his childhood he has pursued and developed

his interest in painting, acquiring his first experiences

from his father who was a painter. At the same time he

attended courses in painting at the Department of Art

of the Moscow University. He participated for the first

time in a group exhibition at the age of twelve painting

portraits of well-known German Classic Writers. In

2001 he became a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts

of Greece (E.E.T.E.), of the Society of Visual Artists of

Northern Greece (Σ.Κ.Ε.Τ.Β.Ε.) and of the

International Society of Painters in Moscow, Russia. In

December 2001 his name was included in “The Atlas

of Greek Diaspora”, since he is considered a significant representative of

painters of Greek origin. He completed one of his most important pieces of work

“The Battle of Alexander the Great at Issu” in 2002 and was given for this an

award by the former President of the Greek Republic Konstantinos

Stephanopoulos. This painting is 27 meters wide and 3,5 high and it is made

with oil on canvas. The painting is decorating the Ceremonial Hall at the Army

Officers’ Club in Thessaloniki along with his other painting “The Battle against

the Italians in 1940” (2003, dimensions: 2,60mX3,60m). Other works of Kostas

Efimidis are exhibited at the Municipal Gallery of Thessaloniki, of Drama and

many other public places in Greece, as well as in private collections all over the

world.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

More than 20 solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Participation in more than 30 group exhibitions all over the world

The global art at the turn of the centuries has become inconspicuous. Differences

in style, in trends and directions of artistic thinking have become a matter of

individual search on expression modes of plastic representations. Various

stylistic and aesthetic elements used by artists have now acquired the nature of a

tool or that of a reference in the hands of the modern creator. The art of Kostas

Efimidis is not exempt from these contexts. His personal artistic culture is

saturated by countless allusions and flashbacks to the great art world craftsmen

of the 20th century. With a quick glance at Efimidis’ paintings one can instantly

notice the aesthetic resonances with the pursuits of Russian artists of the circle

Larionof – Filonof and the works of some representatives of the Paris School

such as Picasso, Chagall and others. Without being limited to a particular style,

the artist tries to interpret the modern reality by bringing it through the torn nets

of artistic experiments of the early 20th century. Thus the uniqueness of artistic

pursuits, and the attitude of the art that existed between the 19th and 20th

century is revealed in its response to the atmosphere of modern times. In this

case though, we are talking only about external morphological characteristics of

the style of a personal technique. The art of that time was revolutionary and

experimental. It embodied the dissatisfaction from the reality that was

impossible to be expressed with the means of the old pragmatic approach

anymore. In a way, it was the absorption of the bright and transparent

Apollonian ideal, by the aggressive and saturated Dionysian element. But in the

case of Kostas Efimidis’ art, a rare transformation takes place. It feels like the

artist is putting the flywheel of time to move inversely, forcing the modern

viewer to form a new conception of the art of bygone eras. Skillfully

manipulating the plastic experience of the painters of the past and based on their

morphological searches, Kostas managed to change the conceptual source of this

art, and to harmonize the form by filling it with new content.

Having lost its ecstatic anguish as well as the momentous revolutionary

sincerity, but maintaining the freedom to morphological searches, Kostas’ art

has acquired a new value. The painter has re-interpreted and in some cases has

completely changed the codes of artistic concepts and associations, thus giving

to the familiar form another character and a different meaning. With confidence

and subtlety, the artist mixes to his tarpaulins the existential tragedy of Filonof’s

art, with the pagan Hellenism of Picasso’s art, decorating the composition with

the expressiveness of Kirchner or with the popular theatricality of Russian

Futurists. But here we are not dealing with a collection of references to the

world of painting, but with a special and unique phenomenon in art.

The true uniqueness of the painter Kostas Efimidis is hiding in him himself, in

his sincere love for people and the world that is fermented with romantic

passion, and the openness of his soul, his chromatic musicality and his passion

for seeking the ideal harmony and the common uniting concepts.

Vitaly Lavrushin Member of the Russian department of the International Association of Art

Critics (AIS-AICA)

Member of the International Art Foundation

5 G.Papandreou St., Thessaloniki www.govedaroufineartgallery.com

Tel: (0030) 2314015613 info@govedaroufineartgallery.com

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