2020-22

"The Heebie-Jeebies"

“Against figurative backgrounds of nighttime beaches or swimming pools, colorful abstract forms burst from the canvas. With the appeal of tasty sweets, the splodges of paint jump out as if flowing into the water or splattering up from it. It all seems cheerful, but as the title of this series, "The Heebie-Jeebies," reveals, there is every reason to be alarmed.

The landscapes in the background are based on photos of parties and after-parties. The identity of the partygoers is no longer known. But in the sections where the flash once brightly lit up their faces, the thickly applied paint seems to catch more light than in the surrounding areas. This is a metaphor Adonis uses to reflect not only his own feelings but those of an entire generation. "My contemporaries and I grew up in a pretty carefree way in Greece. We had fun studying and partying a lot. The financial crisis brought all of that to an abrupt end. "What we were left with was a kind of hangover: the party was fun, but afterward, you mostly have a melancholy feeling of emptiness."

Last year, a feeling that had been simmering beneath the surface for a decade came to a head: "For one whole year, there were no exhibitions; all I could do was work, shut up in my studio." "And so I took the opportunity to experiment." Adonis had always been fascinated by the material aspects of oil paint and decided to explore that further. "Oil paint has the potential of becoming very physical and sculptural." "I wanted to capture its movement, to make the paint look as if it were dancing on the canvas."

In keeping with what he asks of his material, he rhythmically flings and hurls the paint onto the canvas. Instead of using a brush, he smears the paint with a palette knife. In order to rid himself of old habits, he also started making sculptures. Then he applied his experience with sculpting to his paintings, where he began to build up the paint in layers. In some places, the oil paint is so thick that he can slice parts of it off to reveal the underlying layers. He himself is surprised by the almost geological layers he finds as a result. "I have no control over it," Adonis says with a laugh. "I used to be much more rational as an artist. But the more I let my intuition take the lead, the more I discover. It’s exciting!"

Merel van den Nieuwenhof