Vangelis Rinas (Greece)

The Human Being-Woman-Memory-Dream/2015/sculpture, wood, iron /50cm×58cm×154cm

Appreciation: The Samos Island,where the Greek artist Vangelis Rinas was born, is the birthplace of both Hera,Queen of the ancient Greek mythology and Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. Vangelis Rinas has embraced the enlightenment of the ancient Greek art and aesthetics from his childhood. The classical aesthetic ideal “Beauty lies in harmony” has become his eternal memory and dream in his artistic life. His sculpture The Human Being-Woman-Memory-Dream depicts a statuesque naked female image of an ancient Greek goddess who is bound with thin straight piece of wood and equipped with keyholes and keys at her back and the lower part of her body. As a result of the loss of memories of the classical aesthetic ideal, the natural and graceful female body turns into a mechanized skeleton. This work expresses the artist’s reflection on the alienation of humanity under the mechanical reproduction era and his appeal for future aesthetic ideal featured by coming back to nature.

Vangelis Rinas was born in Samos Island,Greece in 1966. He graduated from the Athens School of Fine Arts. Now he is afreelance artist. He has participated in The Rule of Law and the Right to beHuman in Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens 2014, Passages: Loss, Search and Ascent,Elga Wimmer PCC Gallery, New York 2012, Endless Sailing III, 99 CreativeCenter, Shanghai 2010 and Endless Sailing III ,National Art Museum of China,Beijing 2010.