On February 9th, LeBasse Projects will debut a new body of work by Greek artist Alexandros Vasmoulakis.
Vasmoulakis’ paintings contain many layers—physically, in terms of their thick impasto and textural buildup of paint, and also metaphorically. At the outset, the figures are smiling, a nod to the traditional purpose of portraiture as a showcase of one’s ideal or idealized comportment. However, the grinning and laughing expressions are menacingly exaggerated and recall the distorted visages of tortured souls in Francis Bacon’s deeply psychological portraits and self-portraits. In the case of Vasmoulakis’ personas, the turmoil does not come from an inner psyche, but from the outside influences of contemporary society, consumer culture and the media machine as the figures vapidly laugh, pose and posture.
Saturday, February 9th 6-9pm LeBasse Projects 6023 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 lebasseprojects.com