Interview with Michail Parlamas

Michail Parlamas is a greec painter featured in Al-Tiba9 magazine ISSUE03 & ISSUE14, interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj about his outstanding paintings.

Michail Parlamas was born in 1977 in Piraeus, Greece. He studied Painting at the Aristotle University Thessaloniki in the Department of Applied and Fine Arts. He moved to London to complete his postgraduate studies at SaintMartins College of Art and Design (MA in Fine Arts) and East London University (Professional Doctorate in Fine Art).

Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as an artist?

The first image that made an everlasting impression on me was my mother's when I was 3-4 years old. We were accompanying my father in one of his transatlantic travels, and I was very vividly, asking my mother to show me how to draw a stick figure. Although it was a fundamental drawing, it exhilarated my fantasy to such a degree that from that moment, I never stopped drawing. A few years later, I created my first comic book series, and during high school, I became fixated on the idea of becoming an artist. Since my parents were against it, we had to find a middle ground. During summer holidays, I was attending drawing classes while preparing for both the fine arts and the national entrance exams to become an architect. For better or worse, I failed the national exams. Still, I was lucky enough to secure a place at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the Fine Arts department, and the rest is history.

Can you tell us about the process of making your art?

When I was a child, I used to mix different kinds of toys together. I was always interested in the exotic and introducing a separate element in my play and be more creative with the narrative. Later on, I started to admire Japanese pop culture. In the 8o' s、Japanese toys, stationery and Anime were particularly popular in Greece. During my MA at Central Saint Martins, I was talking about my influences and more particularly about the introduction of Japanese imagery and writing in my paintings. At that moment, I realized that I wanted to introduce elements in my work from other cultures, historical periods, and religions. Thanks to my fascination with different cultures, I discovered a new field of study called comparative mythology. This theoretical framework sets the foundation and tone of my paintings. After rearranging the symbols and images, I recreate a new narrative that takes shape and form in Photoshop as a digital collage. Then I strategically break down the layers of the digital image and translates it into a painting. The final stage of painting can take up to 6 months.

Do you have a favorite photograph or painting, which inspires you?

Many artists and especially painters that I follow are Greek and international artists, but when I look for inspiration, I look elsewhere. Whenever I feel like I run out of ideas, I always revisit memories from my childhood to not only seek inspiration but also rekindle my creativity. Because at that time, I was feeling free, surrounded only by emotions of happiness, playfulness, and joy. My passion for Japanese pop culture, toys, cartoons, music videos, video games, and all that are the main sources of inspiration. As I get older, my work remains pluralistic to this day, and it has undoubtedly shifted towards a particular direction, namely that of the Lowbrow Art movement. Also known as Pop Surrealism with deep cultural roots in subcultures such as underground comics, Japanese Anime, psychedelic art, graffiti, and street art.

What piece of your artwork would you like to be remembered for?

I believe that my most influential piece is the painting titled "Gods+Monsters," sharing the same title with my second solo exhibition at Gallery Kourd in Athens. The painting depicts a strict triangular composition based on the west pediment of the Parthenon, where all the gods and goddesses have been replaced by iconic personalities of the 21st century. It represents an attempt to transform this universal symbol of classicism, which is of divine and everlasting beauty that transcends any boundaries into a more tangible and ephemeral experience evoking the essence of our current times. The ultimate goal of this painting is engaging the audience by causing them to ponder the question "who's the God and who's the monster." The main idea was to evoke Caravaggio's technique of chiaroscuro; thus, the figures had to look like they were emerging from darkness into the light. It was challenging and also a struggle to achieve the desirable transparencies and color gradients by using acrylics.

On top of that, I recreated the poses of the figures using images on the Internet by mixing and matching different body parts to correlate with the Parthenon sculptures. I take into consideration an artificial light source that had to be consistent to achieve the illusion of chiaroscuro. When I finally added the last few brushes on the 6-meter full painting surface, I was filled with mixed emotions of happiness, relief, but also sadness and bewilderment when realized that I was not 100% satisfied with the final result. This feeling of pushing myself to become a better artist by honing my skills. My methodology classifies this painting as the best effort in my artistic career and the one that I would like to be remembered.

Do you interact with the digital world/technology in your work?

I haven't really delved into the realm of digital art, although I have seen some remarkable results achieved by artists on drawing tablets, for example. I believe that one reason that I am quite skeptical about using digital means to create art is the fact that I feel like I am "cheating" in a way since I consider myself a traditional painter. Although I construct my digital drafts / digital collages in Photoshop. 

Your work blends historic architectural forms, like an Egyptian temple or a grotto, with contemporary references. Do you feel a specific connection to the pyramids or any other elements of Egyptian culture?

I believe that my strongest piece is the painting titled “Gods+Monsters”, sharing the same title with my second solo exhibition at Gallery Kourd in Athens. The painting depicts a strict triangular composition based on the west pediment of the Parthenon, where all the gods and goddesses have been replaced by iconic personalities of the 21st century. It represents an attempt to transform this universal symbol of classicism, which is of divine and everlasting beauty that transcends any boundaries into a more tangible and ephemeral experience evoking the essence of our current times. The ultimate goal of this painting was to engage the audience by causing them to ponder the question "who is the God and who is the monster". The main idea was to evoke Caravaggio’s technique of chiaroscuro thus the figures had to look like they were emerging from darkness into the light. It was challenging and also a struggle to achieve the desirable transparencies and color gradients by using acrylics. On top of that, I had to recreate all the poses of the figures depicted on the painting using found images from the Internet by mixing and matching different body parts in order to correlate with those of the Parthenon sculptures. All the while taking into consideration an artificial light source that had to be as consistent as possible in order to achieve the illusion of chiaroscuro. When I finally added the last few brushes on the 6-meter wide painting surface I was filled with mixed emotions of happiness, relief but also sadness and bewilderment when realized that I was not 100% satisfied with the end result. This feeling of wanting to push myself, even more, to become even better as an artist by honing my skills and my methodology is what classifies this painting as my best effort so far in my career and the one that I would like to be remembered of.

Do you interact with the digital world/technology in your work?

I haven’t really delved into the realm of digital art although I have seen some remarkable results achieved by artists on drawing tablets for example.  I believe that one reason that I am quite skeptical about using digital means to create art is the fact that I feel like I am “cheating” in a way since I consider myself a traditional painter. Although I construct my digital drafts / digital collages in Photoshop. 

Your work blends historic architectural forms, like an Egyptian temple or a grotto, with contemporary references. Do you feel a specific connection to the pyramids or any other elements of Egyptian culture?

I have been implementing various religious and symbolic references in my paintings. Elements from ancient Greek mythology with the equivalent of Sumerian and Hindu mythos co-exist with American popular culture icons. Everything stems from an initial idea that was later on polarized, similar to the strenuous efforts of the human race for differentiation and identity formation. This idea stems from the theory of comparative mythology. Plutarch, a Greek biographer, use Greek names for most of the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses alluding to a reverse model of earth mother and sky father. The Christian religion is where the mystery of baptism, beliefs on the afterlife, death, and resurrection, the practice of circumcision, and the great flood are all based on their Egyptian counterparts. When this theory is applied to painting, it creates a visual dialogue that attempts to bring the viewer's attention to the contrast between the Oriental ideals of homogeneity, unification, minimalism, and spirituality. It constantly pursuit self-development, freedom of expression, individualism, and sometimes even self-indulgence found in the cultures of the Occident. This never-ending struggle of the human condition is further exploited in the painting surface by the heavy usage of archetypal symbolism, pluralism in color, multipoint composition, and a surreal undertone. 

Are any of your projects intended as a call to action?

My art became more political. Recent socio-economical changes in Greece have affected me. For my Doctorate thesis, I tackled the influence of globalized media on art. Because of the rise of extremist parties in Greece and Europe, there is a serious need to educate ourselves and the audience. We need to be extra sensitive when an artwork involves politics, human rights, minority, and ethnic groups. People can develop emotions such as sympathy, curiosity, resentment, and so forth and, as a result, help bridge the gap between people with different lifestyles, languages, and customs. What artists need to do is to take the time to research with compassion. When you learn more about what you are inspired by, new respect gradually builds up. Therefore, choices are made with more responsibility. 

What advice would you give to a young artist following in your steps?

Don't be discouraged if you don't have the response you anticipate, as there are so many parameters that contribute to an artist's success that sometimes it's beyond our own grasp. That's why it might take longer for some people to break into the art scene. Be consistent and speak your truth through your art, persevere, and you will eventually be discovered. Many young artists have taken their careers in their own hands, moved their work onto the digital space, and have achieved success by reaching out to a wider audience beyond the physical boundaries of one's own country.

Why do you love what you do?

I believe that art has chosen me and not the other way round. I sometimes feel like I stuck in a marriage that I cannot free myself from, but at the same time, I cannot see myself outside of it either. In other words, I have a love and hate relationship with art. Maybe, I could be a different person, financially stable, more sociable, and with a successful outcome in life. Still, at the same time, I have so many good memories of art that I can not imagine my life without it!