Konstantinos Xatzipapas (b. 1991, Kavala) primarily explores the subject matter of loss and the numerous implications it encompasses. Whether in the form of rotting grapes – a naturalistic statement of the relentless process of ageing – or in abstract black voids, which challenge vision itself, the artist curiously navigates the theme of loss through painting, drawing and installation.

What is intriguing and simultaneously challenging in many instances of loss is the fact that these often remain clandestine and unprocessed, which means that an assortment of grieving emotions such as sorrow, melancholy and anger, await to emerge. Through his art, Xatzipapas provides both himself and the viewer with an opportunity for contemplative dedication in memoriam to all those states of bliss, people, objects and years to which we were once attached. His work serves as a platform to pause and acknowledge what is missing and potentially make amends with what’s gone.

Currently, Xatzipapas has been investigating the ever-seductive allure of black. A color historically associated with death, power, and Otherness, black reveals itself gradually and painstakingly as the artist keeps finding himself magnetized by its many applications, particularly its velvet-like textures created with the mediums of charcoal and graphite. Conceptually and aesthetically, his work seems to resonate perfectly with the qualities the color yields. And yet, the possibilities are endless. For him, the world of (and in) black remains a terra incognita, one that he always seems eager to explore further.