10 Questions with Michail Parlamas

Michail Parlamas was born in Piraeus in 1977. He studied painting at the School of Fine Arts in Thessaloniki, where he graduated in 2000 under the supervision of Professor Evangelos Dimitreas.

He continued his postgraduate studies in London with the financial support of the State Scholarship Foundation. He successfully obtained a Master's degree in Fine Arts from Central Martins College of Art and Design in 2003 and a Professional Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of East London in 2007. He has held three solo exhibitions so far in Athens and in London respectively, and since 2002 he has been participating in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.

www.michailparlamas.com | @michailparlamas

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Between 2020 and 2023 Michail Parlamas produced ten large-sized “self-portraits” titled “Selfiesh”, a portmanteau of the words selfie and selfish.

These faces sometimes occupy the entire canvas, while sometimes they leave room for the surrounding space to peek through, which is strongly tied to memories of the artist’s past experiences. Based on older studies of self-portraits on phone book pages and distorted iPad selfies, Michail constructs the portrait by gradually adding layer upon layer of disproportionate facial characteristics he gathers on the internet. What initially appears as a self-portrait turns into an analog avatar – a mask or persona that contemporary society impels us to use, purposefully or instinctively, in order to make ourselves socially acceptable.

Michail’s portraits are trapped between the physical and the digital world. He obsessively devotes himself to depictions of asymmetrical patterns with the aim of exposing and eventually familiarizing the public with diversity and non-conventional beauty.

He does not hesitate to distort faces, to omit proportions and symmetries that are inextricably linked to classical beauty. Through this series of portraits, he attempts to highlight details – small blemishes, shortcomings, and the face’s daily wear and tear – that reveal a complexity that is at once harmonious and chaotic but also imperfect in its perfection.”

— Text by Athina Papagianni (www.athinas.eu - @athinas.eu)

INTERVIEW

Please, introduce yourself to our public. Who are you, and how would you describe yourself as a person and an artist?

My name is Michail Parlamas, and I come from Athens, Greece. I'm a traditional painter with a primary focus on large-scale portraits, weaving together elements that typically oppose each other. I draw inspiration from diverse sources like religion, history, and pop culture. Recently, I've been delving into the fusion of techniques, marrying representational painting with naturalistic elements and abstract expressionism.
A distinctive feature of my work is the heavy use of symbolism, infusing each painting with a surreal undertone.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?

I've always had this vivid memory of wanting to be a painter, dating back to my early fascination with comics. In primary school, I even created my first comic book series. However, my earliest lasting impression of drawing as a child goes back to a moment before I started primary school. I asked my mom to draw a human figure with more detail because I was struggling to depict a proper body shape. That drawing she made has been etched into my brain ever since.

What is your artistic background? And how did you develop into the artist you are today?

I did my BA in Greece, where I underwent a five-year academic training in painting. It was there that I first delved into experimenting with color, making initial attempts at portraiture, and exploring abstract painting, often using portraiture as a starting point. I received the national scholarship, allowing me to pursue an MA in Fine Art at Saint Martins College of Art and Design, followed by a doctorate at the University of East London. Both degrees not only refined my methodology but also delved deeper into the conceptual aspects of my work.
During my MA, where I explored references to other cultures, I researched cultural appropriation and its ethical implications concerning borrowing elements from other civilizations for artistic inspiration. In my doctoral dissertation, I further delved into the influence of globalized media, appropriative art, and the nuanced boundaries between influence, artistic liberty, and imitation.
A significant event during my time in London prompted me to explore a psychoanalytic approach to myths and folk tales, leading me to discover Carl Jung and his theories. This research culminated in my work titled "Gods and Monsters," a pop-surrealist take on depictions from Ancient Greek mythology and Byzantine iconography. This ten-year journey not only refined my representational techniques for depicting the human figure but also honed my skills in detailed painting.
After completing a three-year residency in Athens, I managed to blend the labor-intensive approach to painting from my recent work with the spontaneous and intense brushwork of my past. This fusion culminated in the creation of the "Selfies" series.

You studied and worked both in Greece and London. How did these two different environments and cultures influence your work?

Living and working in London during my postgraduate studies in the early 2000s was a transformative experience. Contrasting greatly with the art institutions in Greece, London placed me in the spotlight, requiring a professional presentation and a compelling narrative for my work. This shift made my choices more conscious and purposeful, challenging my instinctual, spontaneous approach to painting.
Initially, this transition led to a struggle as I attempted to balance the mental side of my artistic practice with the freedom and materiality that painting offers. I found myself heading in a sterile direction, trying to control every aspect of my art. Recently, I've revisited my earliest work from Greece, aiming to merge the wild, artistic child within me with the more mature, controlled artist that emerged after my seven-year stay in London.

Speaking of experiences, let's talk about your work. You primarily work on painting self-portraits; why did you choose this medium and this subject specifically?

I think my introverted and shy personality influenced my choice of portraiture as an expressive medium. Despite naming them as self-portraits, they aren't realistic depictions of myself. Instead, they serve as empty shells filled with autobiographical elements, transforming into a personal spiritual vessel or avatar. I infuse these portraits with meanings and ideas, aiming to communicate thoughts that I often struggle to express verbally due to my awkwardness with words in real life.
A life-changing experience I had in London not only prompted my return to my hometown but also amplified this choice. I wanted to create a series of faces depicting the trauma, acting as totems to exorcise inner demons. These portraits, like a Dorian Gray painting, bear the weight of frustrating moments and trauma, providing a visual outlet for me. That's why I refer to them as neurotic portraits – they visualize and bring to light an invisible illness of the soul.

You define your portraits as "Selfiesh," a portmanteau of the words selfie and selfish. What do you want to communicate with these works?

Living in the age of social media, Instagram, and artificial intelligence exposes us to a constant influx of images, data, and influencers shaping our desires and self-perception. This environment often manipulates our confidence, nudging us towards consumption. Against this backdrop, I embarked on creating a series of portraits intentionally distorted, undergoing severe paramorphosis.
The distortion in these portraits serves as a reflection on body dysmorphia, inspired by the transformative effects of selfie lenses on our mobile devices. In an era dominated by the selfie phenomenon, where our perception of self and others is profoundly influenced, these portraits aim to provoke thought about the impact of technology on our understanding of beauty and identity.

Does working on your own images give you the freedom to modify or distort the subject? And how is it reflected in your work?

During my undergraduate years, I often used my own face as a visual reference, and more recently, I've been working on faces borrowed from both famous and ordinary people found on the internet. This process has granted me a sense of familiarity and ease, particularly with the human face, including my own. It's intriguing how portrait artists mention that even when depicting others, a small percentage of their own face tends to influence the observed face.
In my portraits, achieving likeness is not my goal. Instead, I approach them like an AI image generator, blending real-life images into new, non-existent faces. This freedom allows me to distort and omit facial details as I see fit, occasionally revealing layers from the background or striving for hyper-realism. The ongoing challenge lies in finding a balance between naturalism and abstract expressionism.
Each portrait stands as an individual project, necessitating a unique approach as they take on a life and identity of their own. This diversity contributes to the dynamic nature of my work, where each piece becomes a distinctive exploration of the boundaries between reality and imagination.

Your portraits are large in scale and take up almost all the canvas. Why did you choose to focus on the face solely? And do you think you will ever start incorporating the body or the surroundings?

The larger-than-life size in my paintings is a deliberate choice aimed at maximizing the impact on the viewer.
Working on expansive surfaces offers a sense of liberation, especially with the satisfying motion of brushstrokes across the canvas. I am fascinated by the contrast between roughly painted areas, executed with large brushes, and the more delicate, labor-intensive approach to specific facial features. Stepping back from the painting, these varied techniques blend, creating a captivating visual effect. Despite not being photorealistic, the elaborate parts almost achieve this illusion.
In some of my attempts, I've incorporated parts of the human body within the face, although I don't currently intend to shift towards compositions depicting the entire human body or multi-figure scenes. My goal is to merge elements from my earlier body of work, where compositions extended outward rather than focusing on the face, with the techniques I've been employing lately. This includes the juxtaposition of quickly and sloppily painted areas with intricately detailed sections.
There's a persistent desire to bring together contrasting elements that clash harmoniously on the same canvas, creating a visual narrative that engages and challenges the viewer. This interplay of techniques and themes adds depth to the overall impact of my paintings.

On that note, is there anything else you would like to experiment with? Any medium or technique you would like to implement in the future?

Recently, I've ventured into using the airbrush, aiming to achieve the illusion of depth with intriguing results. This marks a shift in my exploration of mediums, considering that I've previously relied extensively on spray cans. The airbrush, offering greater control, opens up new possibilities for my artistic expression, and I plan to delve further into this medium to expand the nuances and dynamics in my work.

And lastly, what are you working on now? Do you have any new series or exhibitions coming up?

Within the "Selfie" series, there are smaller portrait series that I plan to delve into more in the coming year, incorporating smaller works alongside my larger pieces. I've discovered that working on a smaller scale helps me focus on specific details, providing better control and ultimately contributing to the improvement of my larger paintings in later stages.
Excitingly, I've recently been picked up by a gallery in Athens, increasing the likelihood of having a solo exhibition.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.