Guy Hepner and Tax Collection are currently showing the first US solo show of Belgium-born artist Dimitri Likissas.
Artist, Dimitri Likissas was born and raised in Belgium and has Greek roots. In his early 20s, he moved to the Caribbean where his career evolved from being a graphic designer to a corporate director of a media publishing company. From that point forward he turned into a full-time artist and painter, and his creations have discovered their way into numerous private collections mostly in Europe and America.
His work stems from a long tradition of using distinct dots of color in art, which the viewer’s mind blends together to create the final image. Playing with chromatic tonality and the dissection of visual planes, Dimitri creates works that seem to move and undulated within the canvas as if attempting to escape their two-dimensional confines. While the dots work together in harmony to create the image, their circular nature acts in opposition to his square or rectangular canvases, reminding us of the basic elements of life and how atoms are in a constant movement – propelling against each other – creating matter itself.
Having studied the works of the original Pointillist masters, such as Georges Seurat and Henr Edmond-Cross, as well as pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, Likissas gives us a fresh interpretation on the usage of dots in painting. We chat with him about his current exhibition, ‘Pointillism Revisited’.
Tell us about the exhibition, ‘Pointillism Revisited’?
This exhibition is about experiencing a new style of pointillism. I say a new style because it also is Optical art, the paintings are large and from nearby you are encountered by the dot pattern of all different colors, and as you take a distance from the work, the dots transcend into an image.
Describe your aesthetic…
My aesthetic is a grid of perfectly lined and perfectly executed dots, each of a different color and through the color combinations melt together as an image.
Where do you look to for inspiration?
Everywhere around me is an inspiration. I take a lot of photos as I travel for ideas in my art.
Do you have a favorite piece in the collection?
Honestly, I don’t have one favorite piece, I am showing 4 bodies of work, and all are appealing to me because of my dot pattern.
How has it been working with Guy Hepner Gallery and Tax?
It has been an excellent experience. Both teams are on a roll with what they are doing and young, swift and taking care of their artists.
What’s next for you?
Next for me is to keep on hustling to become a household name in art. I do have a unique and appealing style.
The exhibition will run at the Guy Hepner gallery until June 22nd.
