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Press Release

“Work on Portraits II” - ION

( Photography )

Two and a half years after his first solo exhibition, ION returns with a new collection of portraits entitled “Work on Portraits II”, a natural continuation of his previous work. The artist has created 30 new portraits and chosen 23 of them for public exhibition. His characteristic technique and style are also represented here, giving us images with an unusual conceptual approach, being a synthesis of various schools of art, especially of the Renaissance."Work on Portraits II" develops the concept of the “dialogue between the subject and its surroundings” from his previous work. Ambiguity, expectation, doubt, self – awareness, duality ! All of them ideas which revolve around one central core, man . The dialogue between the model and his surroundings takes on a new perspective, the artist using the most original means to communicate this to us.

To create his new series of portraits, ION has chosen models from different nationalities and generations, but , this time he places special emphasis on childhood . “You know how mothers are.. it’s so difficult to turn them down !”. The backgrounds of the portraits come from photographs the artist has taken during his travels in Greece and the rest of Europe. For example,  “Leon” and his shadow are cast upon the walls of Freising cathedral ( formerly the Episcopal seat of the current Pope ) , “Laline” poses with her eyelids closed in an arcade in Budapest, Gina is “The Guest” at a palace in Vienna, Danae gazes at “The Messenger” through the window of the Catholic cathedral on Syros, Tatiana looks across the Messinian Gulf, sitting on the breakwater at Kalamata, while “Rebecca” is standing, expecting her first child, in the Park of Liberty in Athens.

Special mention should be made of the participation of the author Zyranna Zateli in the collection, since she accepted ION’s invitation to pose “with a warm heart”, inspiring the artist to create two portraits, “Zyranna Zateli” and “The Gaze”.
In his second work, the artist  redefines his style, expands his approach, reinvents his technique.
ION was born in Sparta in the 1970s and he has studied medicine and black & white photography. He writes music and speaks several languages, including sign language which he would like to “brush up”.
As the artist says himself, “What you gain through impact, you lose with time. I prefer that my work communicate with people around the world through the depths of time.”.

1. «Work on Portraits II» exhibition is being held at the recently renovated art.space.aleph. Visitors to the gallery will also be able to see the complete first work of ION, «Work on Portraits I» in 30cm x40 cm. A total of 38 portraits.
2. More about the artist at his website: www.ionportraits.gr or www.ionstudios.eu .

Opening: Thursday 25 September 2008 at 20:00.
Duration: Thursday 25 September – Saturday 25 October 2008.
Visiting hours: Tuesday to Friday 17:00 – 20:30, Saturday 11:00 – 15:00, Sunday - Monday closed.