Charis Vlahos: Bridging Cultures Through Vibrant Artistry
“I’m PAINting and I’m working with computoOrs too.” by Charis Vlahos.
Charis Vlahos is represented by Allouche Benias Gallery.
What initially drew you to the world of art, and how has your journey been since then ?
I’ve been doing creative stuff for as long as I can remember. It is familiar and comforting. This is how I flow. I generate energy through art and I use it to make art. It’s been an organic development for a self/social reflection/projection process. What made it my main job was my need for a freelance career.
I want my labor to be part of a self narrated/guided storyboard so I can remain my attention span and interest in the long term. My journey is a never ending roller coaster.
Can you describe your artistic process and how you approach new projects ?
I work mostly as a painter and a filmmaker. Additionally I’m performing, costume designing, researching, journalling, writting hahaha. It might seem like a one-man show but I reassure you we are not one person
When It comes to personal projects I go with the flow. I don’t function properly under control. I’ve been extremely overcontrolling to myself in the past. Now it seems more like discipline. Most of the time my need is to stimulate an alternative collective reality. This, often enough, comes as an abstract, flexible, fluid, over contextual, oversaturated mass, so a structure is needed. I’ve used archetypes, branding techniques and other narrative structures as a skeleton for my work, but to be honest none of these are that serious.
On a more practical level my latest paintings and film have a space theme. Before the final works there are many layers of trials and errors. Sketchbooks, writings and readings form and feed what is finally presented. You need a vocabulary in order to create a narrative.
When it comes to group projects or commissions, I love to be both the leader and the follower. I believe in the power of team work. I love the solitude of painting but I need to connect with others too.
How do you see your work evolving over the years, and what influences have been pivotal in this evolution ?
I’ve been an artist since I was a kid. All kids are artists. I’m growing and I’m still a kid and an artist. So basically I haven’t stopped doing something I was always doing. I’m just getting more skills and knowledge. I’m expanding deeper and wider.
I observe that my need to change styles, mediums and fields was present from early on. This is something I embrace. A personal milestone for my artistic process was working with film the past years. A video as an artwork transcends the materiality of an object. An infinite, transparent medium embodies better the cyber-space and the digital era we live and I choose to depict. On a socio-economic level, entering art school, having solo shows and selling paintings have been pivotal in my perception as an artist, lol.
My biggest influence is you guys. Literally, from the ones that brought extra pain to the most traumatic event called life, to the ones who bring joy, inspiration and support to the most wonderful thing I’ll probably get to experience... again life. They’re friends, lovers, strangers, family, people I’ve worked with, Derrrida’s view on Hauntology, and the universe that doesn’t have the need to explain itself.
Could you share the story behind one of your most significant artworks ?
Sometimes speaking about a painting is like explaining a joke. Let’s ruin this together.
So, in one of my works I was depicting a low-key sexual fantasy I had as a kid around boys. My goal was to capture both the homoerotic and the bromance dynamics of boyhood. I wanted the painting to be relatable and reachable for queers and cis, straight men, even the most conservative ones.
My intention was to make men question their sexuality from a familiar fluid POV, from an early development stage of sexuality. Painting sold. Painting explained. Straight people still exist, wtf? Homophobia still exists WTFFFFF? It’s not even a joke anymore.
In what ways does your personal background influence your art ?
My personal background is my capital for investment. My life experience is what I bring to the party. Through art, I encode, decode and recode both personal and collective memories. It’s a way for me to reshape the past and manifest the future.
What role do you believe artists play in society, especially in contemporary times ?
I guess for some people, artists are the outsiders, and for others, they’re the cool ones. Sometimes it’s the same case. To be honest, in a capitalist realist sense, artists are just another cog in the money-laundering machine. Painting was for the rich during the Renaissance; painting is for the rich now.
The difference is that artists now are laundering their libidos. They are representing for us our disavowed desires and not just what the rich are buying. I’d like to think of artists as people who shed light, bring change, or just depict everyday life on cave walls, etc., but I’m already delusional enough to stay in another Plato’s cave. Artists appeal to people who haven’t embraced that they themselves are artists.
It’s a small bubble thing that unites with a bigger bubble thing. Who really gives a fuck about art? No one. However, now, you care I guess because you’re reading this. Thanks for this <3 I’d like to see art as a challenge for me and for you. I want to see art that makes us wonder about life and not just if there’s wine at the opening.
How do you handle creative blocks or challenges in your work ?
It’s hard to balance between something that’s both your passion and your work. It's a thin line between experiencing life and just surviving. I’ve learned two things on my journey lately:
1.Being a workaholic doesn’t mean you’re being productive.
2. Experiencing burnout doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing.
For almost a year, I didn't paint at all because I was experiencing burnout. However, I ended up editing for weeks without leaving my house. I’m not saying that this is healthy or good; I’m just conscious of my patterns. Yes, I was working, but it was a coping mechanism. The past year was all about growth.
I’ve connected with what is closer to me, and that’s my body. When my mind can’t shut the hell up, I listen to my body. I’m exercising, I’m dancing, I’m engaging with my senses by cooking nice food, having cold showers, etc. Later, when I’m grounded, I connect with my fear, my anger, and my sexuality. Eventually, I connect with my work because I connect with my art. I never really stop working, even at times when I’m completely detached from work. On holidays, I read books and I draw in sketchbooks.
Having said that, and being aware of other personal unhealthy routines, I found a new formula. I maintain my creative flow by working five days in a row, and I see friends most days of the week. In the past, it would be either 'I’m not leaving the studio/house' or 'I’m not going back to my studio/house".
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you're particularly excited about ?
Next month, I’m painting a mural, and in June, I’m having my degree show. In the meantime, I’m working on a series of paintings, and I’m designing a LARP with Froso Papadopoulou. Many things are happening, and I’m extremely grateful for this.
