Paul Anagnostopoulos

Paul Anagnostopoulos aggregates various histories, beliefs, and symbols as a way to explore mythological desire and melancholy. His images are open-ended to reflect the varying versions of similar oral traditions. The paintings act as portals to an idyllic paradise, serving as postcards from a journey that may or may not have been experienced. These unclear memories invoke the rosy longing of nostalgia. In Sappho’s words, there is glucopicron, sweet-bitter, or ambivalence to the works. Two opposing concepts coexist: abundance and loss, pleasure and pain, love and agony. This carries through to the aesthetic decisions regarding depth and flatness. The picture plane’s surreal contradicting layers of dimensionality create a vibration and a warmth, while the palette operates similarly and aims to both seduce and invite the viewer into an arduous account. The vibrant colors allude to kitsch and camp, allowing for moments of humor and melodrama to enter the work. The scene’s players are lifted from ancient art, gay erotica, and wrestling competitions. These hypermasculine images are manipulated to appear sensitive and emotive. With a shifted focus toward intimacy and tenderness, they remain suspended in a fantasy of fulfillment. Anagnostopoulos engages mythology, cultural motifs, and religious rituals as an apparatus for catharsis. His thought process and references function rhizomatically, with layers of significance on both universal and personal levels. Ultimately, the works celebrate queer storytelling.

Courtesy of Dinner Gallery