Opening: Thursday 27 March, 19:00
The paintings and sculptural compositions of Dimitris Fragakis, featuring swimmers, which are presented in the exhibition alongside other works of his, form a major body of his work. The atmosphere in these compositions is grotesque, dark, and timeless, with strong and extreme distortions, unnatural and exaggerated scales, while the surreal, otherworldly element takes center stage as the figures emerge and submerge, float, brace themselves or take the great "plunge" into the water, the liquid element. Or perhaps not just into water, but into the uncharted depths of existence, where they confront both terror and ecstatic wonder as they face the unknown. Through his compositions, Dimitris Fragakis reaffirms the quality of pure artistic values that define his work, heightens the symbolic power of his imagery in a fragmented, alienated and homogenizing era, and asserts his vital relationship with the world, raising existential and ontological questions, invoking a deeper form of communication. The great "dive" has begun: A plunge into the world, into life, into the unknown.
Dimitris Fragakis' exhibition is the first exhibition hosted at Case Studio, in the rotunda of MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art. Case Studio is the latest initiative of the museum: an exhibition space dedicated to presenting the here-and-now of contemporary art. Its goal is showcasing both emerging and established artists, while fostering a closer connection between the museum and contemporary creative practices. Featuring solo exhibitions and projects by contemporary artists ‒primarily, though not exclusively‒, by creators who are based in or originating from Thessaloniki alongside a variety of collective projects, Case Studio highlights alternative narratives and innovative models of knowledge production, promoting the values of social progress and empowerment.
Curated by: Yannis Bolis, Art Historian, MOMus Curator
Born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1982, Dimitris Fragakis graduated in 2006 from the School of Engineering Sciences at the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Kavala. He studied at the School of Visual and Applied Arts of the Faculty of Fine Arts of AUTh in Thessaloniki, graduating in 2014. Since 2024, he has been teaching painting as a Scientific Associate in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Western Macedonia in Florina, Greece. SPLats, presented at the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art, is his 5th solo exhibition. He has participated in international and group exhibitions at several Museums, Art Institutions, and art spaces, including: the 6th Biennale of Contemporary Art (State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki), the 58th International Film Festival of Thessaloniki, the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art, the MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts, Crux Galerie (Athens), Kalfayan Galleries (Athens Thessaloniki), the Teloglion Fine Arts Foundation of AUTh (Thessaloniki), Art Athina (Zappeion Megaron, Athens), Space 52 (Athens), Apodec (Thessaloniki), KYAN Project Space (Athens), the Athens Conservatoire, Frissiras Museum (Athens), and Action Field Kodra (Thessaloniki). He currently lives and works between Thessaloniki and Athens.
