
“So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” (Psalm 103:25)
The Breeder is pleased to present Socratis Socratous second solo exhibition with the gallery. Socratous’ work continually offers an organic formalism or a materialised conceptualism through various innately political sculptures, installations, and photographs.
This sea speaks to the idea of borders in relation to natural bodies and their motion through them. In sailing such “great and wide” seas in this exhibition, the artist navigates the murky waters of borders and nature, while constantly alluding to the search of a home, a safe haven. Moving from dark to light, from ruin to hope, from dislocation to safety, these dissonant themes coexist effortlessly throughout his different mediums, materials, and approaches due to the inherent genealogy of his artworks. Each artwork bears its constituent elements and narrates its part in the wider collective history. It is therefore rendered impossible to separate the artwork from the place where it was made, from its memory and turmoil.
Approaching themes of dislocation and ruin, homecoming and homemaking, he achieves organically a discussion on the weakness of human nature, within but at the same time beyond a political or conceptual level.
Socratis Socratous (b. in Paphos, Cyprus, 1971) is a graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts in Athens.
Selected solo exhibitions include: “Casts of An Island’’, Point Center for Contemporary Art, Nicosia, curated by Michelangelo Corsaro (2016), Saint Severin, Paris, curated by Sophie Duplaix (2015), “Six Open Gates and A Closed One”, The Athens, (2015), 2015 DESTE Prize Shortlisted Artists, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens (2015) and “Rumours”, Pavillion of Republic of Cyprus, curated by Sophie Duplaix, 53rd Venice Biennial, Italy (2009).
Works by Socratis Socratous are included in important museum collections such as the Collection of Centre Pompidou, Paris; Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Austria; the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art; the State Collection of Cypriot Contemporary Art.