CHTHONIC

PETER SPELIOPOULOS

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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.

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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.”