The Architecture of Silence
Architecture is a constant field of observation and enquiry for Yannis Bartsokas. In his work, however, it does not appear as the representation of a particular building or place. It is reduced to its most fundamental elements: a wall, an opening, a surface, a volume, the light that defines or alters a space.
Through this process of reduction, architecture gradually loses its functional identity and becomes a purely geometric experience. Thresholds, ascents, voids and vertical forms recur as part of a personal visual vocabulary in which the experience of space matters more than its description.
His compositions are defined by precision, restraint and balance. Empty space plays an active role in the structure of each work, while colour is used sparingly. When it appears, it becomes a point of tension or a means of directing the eye, never an ornamental device. The position of each plane, the relationship between volumes and the clarity of their boundaries are all part of a rigorously considered process.
Every work begins with drawing. Bartsokas first records the composition through quick, precise sketches and may then develop it through digital studies, testing proportion, form and colour before moving to the painted surface. The final work is executed by hand in matte acrylic on canvas or wood, with metal elements incorporated into some pieces. Each work is unique.
What emerges is not so much the image of a place as the experience of a spatial condition. The moment before entering, the distance between two surfaces, the presence of an empty space, the sense that something exists beyond what can be seen. Space in Bartsokas's work is not a backdrop. It is itself the subject of observation.
Yannis Bartsokas was born in 1984 and lives and works in Athens.