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Jul 01 2021

CHTHONIC

CHTHONIC

PETER SPELIOPOULOS


06.10.2021 – 08.19.2021

Les Ateliers Courbet is pleased to announce the current exhibition of sculptural ceramics by Peter Speliopoulos opening on June 10th in New York. Birthed in a time of deep introspection and solitude, Peter Speliopoulos’ recent body of work, CHTHONIC, continues to investigate and embody the artist’s Greek cultural heritage. A freed artistic expression, the symbolic and expressive pieces are an interpretive approach to the Primordial Gods of the Greek underworld. Born from chaos, and mythologized as bestowing darkness – dwelling in the abyss, the anti-heaven, and night – Speliopoulos materializes the essence of the deities by thinking about “the powers they possessed to create the cosmos and the world of humanity, the dark forces and the light, the struggles of life.” 

Formed in the artist’s Hudson Valley cellar studio throughout the evolution of the pandemic, the series can be seen as haunting — whether cathartic, liberating, or lyrical. Informed equally by fear and optimism, striking a balance between groundedness and flight, the works recollect the internal journey many endured during the pandemic. Simultaneously, calling for a sense of re-birth and a stark reclamation of identity and livelihood, as we emerge from the forced introspection and recluse of the past year.

The sculptural quality of the vessels transcends function bringing an ardor to the centuries-old practice of hand-forming clay. Evoking a visual language of Greek mythology, the hand-formed appendages are materialized from thin slabs to create organic, sprawling shapes adhered to the outer wall of the hand-thrown vessels. The layered surfaces composed of brush-applied slips and glazes are fired to create eroded, cracked surfaces. The serpentine likeness, in both the tactility of the skins and form of the works, nod to the symbolism of serpents. As archetypes of renewal and healing, they embody the process of transformation particularly poignant in the prevailing moment. 

CHTHONIC follows the multidisciplinary artist’s first ceramic show with Les Ateliers Courbet, Archaeos, in the Fall of 2019. Archaeos offered a contemporary interpretation of the traditional wheel-thrown forms of Antiquity ceramics with a focus on emphasized textures. Speliopoulos further explores his Greek heritage and integrates his experience as a fashion designer with the new series of vessels. He likens clay to felt, organza, and muslin to be formed and sculpted upon a form. As he expresses, “I instinctively create each vessel as a sculpture, as a three-dimensional form, a fantastical personality, like a dress with drape, movement, detail. Some are pure and austere, others are layered, rich with detail, each seeking a balance.”

Works on View


CHTHONIC VESSEL 01 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 02 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 03 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 04 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 05 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 06 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 07 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 08 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 09 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 10 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 11 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 12 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 13 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 14 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 15 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 16 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 17 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 18 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 19 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 20 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 21 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 22 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 23 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 24 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 25 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 26 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 27 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 28 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 29 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 30 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 31 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 32 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 33 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 34 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 35 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 36 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 37 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 38 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 39 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 40 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 41 

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CHTHONIC VESSEL 43 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 44 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 45 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 46 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 47 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 48 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 49 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 50 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 51 

CHTHONIC VESSEL 52 

Written by Ateliers Courbet · Categorized: Exhibitions

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