Everyday images of building constructions, advertisements, flows of people and objects feed into his ceramic pieces. He compares this approach with a dive into a treasure box - continuously observing, selecting, creating and connecting - to unveil new meanings as well as preparing the ground for future epiphanies.
Dimitriadis latest vessel is ‘Tarmak’, a hybrid of an elegantly glazed ceramic water jar and a basketball. It instantly brings in mind Jeff Koons’ Equilibrium series, where he aimed to achieve balance in works that feature basketballs floating inside water tanks.
Dimitriadis borrowed the title of his work from a basketball brand since he often uses words and text from the materials he applies, especially if they are already used and carry their own history. He made use of a worn-out basketball, played with by his son, emphasising Koons comment: “white middle-class kids have been using art the same way other ethnic groups have been using basketball for social mobility”. In this instance, Dimitriadis examines the brand name 'Tarmak' as a homophone of tarmac since basketball is usually a street game. He found the relationship between tarmac as a hard surface, the rubber as a soft exterior and the fragile ceramic remarkably interesting – a vessel in perfect balance -. His alchemical process reveals different core elements in unison, speaking to our contemporary notion of sublime.
We are pleased to announce that Stathis Dimitriadis’ Tarmak ceramic can be seen at the exhibition ‘The Art of Transformation: Ephemera Elevated’ at 45 Park Lane, London W1K 1PN, from today 24 May to 18 August 2024.
Image:
Courtesy and ©Stathis Dimitriadis, Tarmak, 2023, ceramic with basketball rubber,
H280 mm x W230 mm x D230 mm.
Courtesy and ©Stathis Dimitriadis and Renee Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy, 2024.
#ceramics #jeffkoons #stathisdimitriadis #tarmak #thepowerofart #socialmobility #whiteglaze #reneepfisterartandgalleryconsultancy #basketball #basketballgame #ethnicgroups