27th ANNUAL NO DEAD ARTISTS
International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Artnew and recent works by 15 Contemporary Artists
August 30 – October 14, 2023
Pull Quote
I present these bittersweet memories in the form of objects-symbols arranged in a game-like installation, a three-dimensional visual pun. Prompting the viewers to interact with the sculptures and establish their own relationships with them, this life-size game aims to bring a fun and playful atmosphere into the room.
Biography
T H R A S Y V O U L O S ( T H R A S ) K A L A I T Z I D I S | | | @trash_bull
[lives & works – Baton Rouge, LA ::: b.1992, Thessaloniki, Greece]
THRAS KALAITZIDIS is a visual artist and researcher currently living and working in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received his MFA in Studio Arts in 2022 from the College of Art + Design of Louisiana State University where he also is a Doctor of Design candidate. Kalaitzidis has worked in theater and cinema as a set designer and prop maker and has shown his work in numerous exhibitions in Greece and Louisiana. His work has been awarded a grant from the NEON Art Organization and he is a recipient of the Onassis Foundation Scholarship.
Kalaitzidis sources his materials from discarded paper, plastic, and soft foam in a practice of recycling through artmaking. His surrealist sculptures and installations use scaling, warping, levitation, and unorthodox combinations of objects to represent emotional states and produce new metaphors. The symbolic imagery in Kalaitzidis’s work derives from personal mythology and takes the form of a visual obsession with recognizable utilitarian objects or natural elements graphically represented in a playful, personified way. His work aims to reveal similarities we may share with theoretically inanimate things and offers the viewers a chance for unbound association, free play, and impromptu performance that strengthens the bonds between community members.
Artist Statement
I started working with soft polyurethane foam as I was looking for a medium that would create volume while remaining light and friendly to the touch. I source my foam from what would be normally thrown away: foam remnants, old cushions, and mattresses that possess history and acquire an afterlife through artmaking. The attraction towards discarded materials reflects the appreciation for common objects and the realization of our unity with them.
The objects-symbols in this body of work are referred to as Entities. I use this word to capture the substance of my large-scale sculptures based on what their presence in space suggests: things that are usually small and utilitarian are scaled up close to human size. They lose their functional properties to reveal their symbolic significance. By possessing almost human dimensions, they stand up for themselves; they say, “I am here.” The choice of objects derives from memories, recognizable symbols, and metaphors found in language or on my phone’s interface. The brush symbolizes the identity of the artist as most of us started with painting. The scissors remind me of growing up with my grandmother who was a seamstress; her pair of heavy iron scissors with that distinct metallic smell was always in the vicinity. Eventually, scissors became one of the main tools I use in my artistic practice to sculpt the soft foam.
I present these bittersweet memories in the form of objects-symbols arranged in a game-like installation, a three-dimensional visual pun. Prompting the viewers to interact with the sculptures and establish their own relationships with them, this life-size game aims to bring a fun and playful atmosphere into the room.
CV
EDUCATION
2022 MFA In Studio Arts (Sculpture), College Of Art + Design, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
2017 Integrated Master In Visual Arts (Painting), Athens School Of Fine Arts
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Entities: A Field Of Imaginary Games, Glassel Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Surreal Salon 15, Curated By Marco Mazzoni, Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2022 Plastigene And Other Stories Of The Planet, Curated By Serap Erincin, LSU Student Union Art Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2022 Surreal Salon 14, Curated By Carrie Ann Baade, Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2019 Terra In-Cognita, Curated By Faye Tzanetoulakou, Aica Hellas, The Rooftile And Brickworks Museum N&S Tsalapatas, Volos Greece
2018 ROOMS 2018, Curated By Faye Tzanetoulakou, Kappatos Gallery, Athens, Greece.
GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS
2021 Onassis Foundation Scholarship For Doctoral Studies
2020 Neon Organization Grant For Graduate Studies