Petros Nikoltsos presents the painting exhibition “Spartacae” at the Phoenix Athens gallery
Spontaneous painting that seeks to investigate the contemporary dimensions of slavery and power. Not to be confused with Maevius Pachaturidis and Alamo press releases, Petros Nikoltsos is known for his ability to express himself in many different ways – from photography and literature to theater and painting.
Spartacae”: Petros Nikoltsos’ new painting exhibition draws inspiration from the historical uprising
With the title “Spartacae“, Petros Nikoltsos presents from Friday, April 26 to Monday, May 20, a new series of paintings at the Phoenix Athens gallery with intense symbolism and inspiration from the historical revolt of Spartacus and the slaves against the Roman Republic in 73 BC. History, abstract expression, Stanley Kubrick’s cinema and questions about whether and how art can function as a means of resistance. The revolution of Spartacus was one of the largest and most massive revolts of antiquity. Its tragic end, with some 6,000 captured slaves crucified along the Appian Way and the crosses with the decomposing corpses left in place for years as an example, demonstrated the concern it caused in Rome’s ruling class.
“Crosses on the forehead”, 2024, mixed media on canvas © Petros Nikoltsos
Petros Nikoltsou’s reference to Stanley Kubrick’s film reveals his desire to imbue his works with deeper meanings of solidarity and generosity. “In hard times, all we have is each other” he says, emphasizing the value of human connection and the pursuit of shared ideals. In this particular series of works, Petros Nikoltsos experiments with shades and color tones, dark lines, vertical and horizontal movements of color that remind of demarcations: a place where the ordinary and the interior coincide with the indefinite geography of terrestrial existence.
Petros Nikoltsos ponders the crosses since the end of the rebellion of Spartacus and the gladiators in 73 BC. in ancient Rome, and is inspired by them. His main problematic here is the issue of slavery versus authority, rebellion versus submission in societies where the dichotomy of the oppressor and the oppressed is found.
“The crosses reminded me of the terrible final scene in Stanley Kubrick’s film, the scene where the Roman officer asks: ‘Which of you is Spartacus?’ and all the slaves one by one shout: “I am Spartacus!” he explains himself.
Title, 2024, acrylic on canvas © Petros Nikoltsos
Staying true to the tradition of late period surrealists, Petros Nikoltsos introduces us to worlds where color is the main narrator. At other times the structural elements in his painting may bring to mind the exploration of architectural forms by the Russian Avant-garde. What cross do we carry? Challenging viewers to find coherence in chaos and search for meaning in the abstract language of paint and canvas, his paintings inhabit the invisible universe of unseen anomalies, noise and silence, as references to the pioneering platform of minimalism developed by 1950s abstract expressionism.
Title, 2024, acrylic on canvas © Petros Nikoltsos
Petros Nikoltsos was born in Thessaloniki in 1979 and lives in Athens since 2011. His artistic practice spans different media, such as cinema, poetry, theater and literature. He has presented 11 individual photography exhibitions in Greece and has taken part in many group exhibitions abroad. The exhibition “Spartacae” is the second in which he presents works on canvas.
