Vladimiros Kotanidis, ‘Lines of Labour’ – January 2025
Donopoulos International Fine Arts, Thessaloniki, Greece – by A. M. Kadinopoulou
The anonymous ‘non-place’ of a construction site is where emerging artist Kotanidis draws his inspiration from, for his series of still-life drawings presented in his first solo exhibition titled ‘Lines of Labour’. The photorealistic images are far from static and although they are devoid of people, they echo of human presence through his choice of subject and his painterly approach to detail.

‘Lines of Labour’ is a transcendental trompe-l’oeil viewing experience, featuring a refreshing and surprising demonstration of mastery in draughtsmanship, in which the visitor discovers that it takes at least a double take to overcome the photographic illusion. It is an homage to the craftsman, the trade skills and long hours of dedication needed to reach such mastery, in which the artist references the labourer’s profession.

Kotanidis explores the theme of anonymity through delicate renderings of personal items belonging to his father, such as tools, uniforms and materials, used in his profession as a laborer on a construction site. By recreating exact renditions of his father’s personal items with pencil on paper, he exposes the ‘aging’ and ‘decay’ of the materials through years of repeated use, counter intuitively adding value and enriching the image with added layers of narratives.

The absence of a person, hence any sense of ego, is highlighted by the marks of labor and industry, the unique weathering and wear of each item. The ‘unseen worker’ is also felt in the generic nature of these tools and their display in a line, as if on a conveyor belt. The artist’s long hours of personal labor disappear when our eyes are tricked by the overall composition and photographic illusion. Similarly, an individual laborer’s work remains anonymous in the construction of a building.

The photorealistic approach chosen, instills a faceless objectivity into an art form that is known for betraying its creator’s identity. Kotanidis attempts to remove himself completely from the reinterpretation of his photographs into large and small pencil drawings executed with such delicacy and attention to detail, that there is little trace of the artist’s hand on the surface of the paper.

A testimony of hard work and industry with sharp edges and rough surfaces, the displayed tools are ‘translated’ by the artist into a soft and smooth near-sfumato texture. The careful close-up examination of the subject matter through his reference photos, speaks of an introspection and a stretching or dilation of time. Reflecting on one of Kotanidi’s images is a passage of discovery, delving deep into the secret life of a moment in time, or an the life-story of a single object. A serene experience, in high contrast with the contemporary surge of ‘skin-deep’ images in mass media.