Growing up, Philippos Theodorides had as a role model an uncle of his, married to his mother’s sister, John Corbidge, an intellectual cosmopolitan who spoke three languages fluently and lived between Trieste and Cyprus. He would constantly visit his studio, where he experienced his first images, his first stimuli, his first smells of oil and canvas. So there was someone in the family who did this profession and when his talent was revealed, his parents were very supportive. So after the army, he decided to study painting.
What were the highlights of your journey, what are your important steps that brought you to where you are today?
Definitely my studies in London and my first contact with the city and its museums, galleries, bookstores and record stores. A constant absorption of information and stimuli that changed me forever. Then my decision to come to Athens, to continue my studies at the Athens School of Fine Arts, in the workshop of Yannis Psychopaidis who was by my side from the beginning to the end of my studies, supportive and willing to talk and think critically. I single out my starting point at the Athens Art Gallery, which was then directed by Marilena Liakopoulou, the solo exhibition I had in 2016 at Eleni Martinou’s space, which was very generous with me, and finally the collaboration we have had for the last 5 years with Zoumboulakis Galleries and Nitra Gallery in Thessaloniki.
In what way do you think your aesthetics are evolving?
Aesthetics are something fluid. I think that everyone has an instinct related to the way they grow up, their environment, as to what they consider beautiful. As I mature and through my work and the clients I have, a more complete picture of what I consider beautiful is formed.
What do you feel are your most important achievements?
The fact that I left a provincial town in Cyprus in the late 90s and managed 25 years later to make a living in another country through what I love to do most. Also, having a family. My wife and daughters act as a core and often ground me in reality.
What and who are the people around you that help you move forward?
Certainly my family, Sofia, my brother, a few friends who are outside the space I move in so they see things more clearly and the galleries that support me.
Do your work and what you plan have references to the work of other artists such as Moralis for example?
There is often a misunderstanding when referring to Moralis because he starts from figurative painting and deconstructs the figure in a very specific way. He was very consistent in this until the end of his life.
In my work, the circles, the semicircles, come from modernism and design, from Ben Nicholson and Calder, the furniture of Gio Ponti, the sculptures of Anthony Caro, and the pure forms of the great illustrator and graphic designer, Paul Rand. Our palette also differs greatly. The transparencies, the raw canvas that I use, the design that is deliberately visible. I think an untrained eye will stop at Moralis. Someone who has seen something more will pass it by and consider it at the very least a footnote.
❝Leaves and plants are the theme of the new exhibition The Sound of the Leaves Between at Nitra Gallery in Thessaloniki. While they have something common, they can transform and suddenly resemble the female body, some hand movements, and at the same time remain clean and clear.❞
❝ In my work, the circles and semicircles stem from modernism and design, from Ben Nicholson and Calder, the furniture of Gio Ponti, the sculptures of Anthony Caro, and the clean forms of the great illustrator and graphic designer, Paul Rand. ❞
What is the reason and inspiration that makes you take steps and evolve in the way you create? Tell us a story
First of all, curiosity, the need to remain creative, alive and useful. The issue of work is very important to me, to create the conditions for me to have something to do. Inspiration or an idea can find me anywhere. A thought, an image, an experience. I note it down in writing or in my mind and process it with a (pre)plan. The important thing is to deal with what we call drawing or painting almost daily.
What would you like to create, a dream project
I’m thinking album and book covers and a Hermes showcase
The designers of your heart and why you choose them
Michael Anastassiades, Ronan Bouroullec and Objects of Common interest because their evolution is very interesting. They remain extremely creative while producing useful products and they inspire me.
Are we what we choose?
Sure, just because I am impulsive, I can often regret my choices and as I get older I tend to weigh things up more.
The last thing you bought and why you chose it
Joni’s Jazz is an 8LP collection by Joni Mitchell that was recently released. Her music and lyrics carry a lyricism that is missing from our time.
