Els Hanappe Underground Gallery 2001
From the Press Release for the individual show of George Kazazis at the Els Hanappe Underground, June 2001. Text by Els Hanappe, Art Historian The large size canvases of George Kazazis are colorful, attractive, and superfluous. Their subject matter directly refers to the sleekness of advertisements and their ethereal quality wherein the object becomes an excuse for a depiction that breathes excessive consumerism, reflecting the current obsession with neverending trends, hype, and novelty. Images have been lifted from glossy magazines and the Internet, manipulated and projected with the help of a computer, and transferred into smooth acrylic surfaces. The rich and decorative patterns borrowed from designs and colors as imposed by the current fashion scene, are juxtaposed with stylish technological items. Technology, once a prime example of functionality, has turned into a series of desirable but redundant objects, so called "gadgets". The resulting luxury of color, of line, of pattern, and of texture, takes advertising to the top and parodies its near perfection that in reality sadly bypasses most people. One wonders how much further we can go to turn our lives into an increasingly aesthetic but also shallow and superficial set of values. George Kazazis' joyful paintings celebrate a newfound hedonism, while all along questioning this newly created class division between those who can afford and those who cannot.
Äåëôßï Ôýðïõ ôçò áôïìéêçò Ýêèåóçò ôïõ Ãéþñãïõ ÊáæÜæç óôçí Ãêáëåñß Els Hanappe Underground ôïí Éïýíéï ôïõ 2001. Êåßìåíï Els Hanappe, Éóôïñéêüò ÔÝ÷íçò. Ïé ìåãÜëïõ ìåãÝèïõò ðßíáêåò ôïõ Ãéþñãïõ ÊáæÜæç åßíáé ðïëý÷ñùìïé, åëêõóôéêïß êáé ðëçèùñéêïß. Ôï èÝìá ôïõò ðáñáðÝìðåé Üìåóá óôç ÷ëéäÞ êáé ôçí áéèÝñéá áôìüóöáéñá ôùí äéáöçìßóåùí, üðïõ ôï áíôéêåßìåíï áðïôåëåß áöïñìÞ ãéá åéêüíåò ðïõ áðïðíÝïõí Üêñáôï êáôáíáëùôéóìü, áíôéêáôïðôñßæïíôáò ôç óý÷ãñïíç ìáíßá ãéá ôçí êáéíïôïìßá, ôçí õðåñâïëÞ êáé ôç óùñåßá íÝùí 'ôÜóåùí'. Ï êáëëéôÝ÷íçò ðáßñíåé åéêüíåò áðü ðåñéïäéêÜ êáé áðü ôï ÉíôåñíÝô, ôéò åðåîåñãÜæåôáé, ôéò ðñïâÜëëåé ìÝóù õðïëïãéóôÞ êáé ôéò áðïôõðþíåé óå ëåßåò áêñõëéêÝò åðéöÜíåéåò. Ôá ðëïýóéá äéáêïóìçôéêÜ ó÷Þìáôá áðü ôá ó÷Ýäéá êáé ôá ÷ñþìáôá ðïõ åðéôÜóóåé ç óýã÷ñïíç ìüäá áíôéðáñáôßèåíôáé ìå êïìøÜ ôå÷íïëïãéêÜ ðñïúüíôá. Ç ôå÷íïëïãßá, ðïõ Üëëïôå Þôáí ðñïðýñãéï ôçò ëåéôïõñãéêüôçôáò, Ý÷åé óôñáöåß óå ðëÞèïò åëêõóôéêÜ áëëÜ ðåñéôôÜ áíôéêåßìåíá, ôá ëåãüìåíá 'gadgets'. ÁõôÞ ç áöèïíßá ÷ñþìáôïò, ãñáììÞò, ó÷åäßïõ êáé õöÞò öÝñíåé ôç äéáöÞìéóç óôï ðñïóêÞíéï êáé ðáñùäåß ôç ó÷åäüí áðüëõôç ôåëåéüôçôá ðïõ óôçí ðñáãìáôéêüôçôá åßíáé äõóôõ÷þò áðñüóéôç óôïõò ðåñéóóüôåñïõò áíèñþðïõò. ÁíáñùôéÝôáé êáíåßò ùò ðïý ìðïñåß íá öôÜóåé áõôÞ ç ìåôáôñïðÞ ôçò æùÞò ìáò óå Ýíá óýíïëï áîéþí ìå áõîáíüìåíç áéóèçôéêÞ áëëÜ ôáõôü÷ñïíá ñç÷þí êáé åðéöáíåéáêþí. Ïé ÷áñïýìåíïé ðßíáêåò ôïõ Ãéþñãïõ ÊáæÜæç åîõìíïýí ôïí íÝï çäïíéóìü, ó÷ïëéÜæïíôáò ðáñÜëëçëá ôçí êïéíùíéêÞ äéÜêñéóç áíÜìåóá óôïõò 'Ý÷ïíôåò' êáé ôïõò 'ìç Ý÷ïíôåò'. 30 óåëéäá ãéùñãïò êáæáæçò