Insanity Among Catharsis with Escher
Medium: Archival Pigment Canson Platine Print
Year: 2020
This photograph belongs to the series "Isolation Games." At the dawn of 2020, as universal freedoms were renegotiated and the world receded into quarantine, our lifestyles were consequently fraught with apprehension. The surreal stillness forced many inside, ultimately shifting routines and psychologies across the board. While passing the time at home during isolation, these photographs depict distraction and amusement in a newly-skewed world. I hadn't realized I was an early-adopter on the covid puzzle bandwagon. Surprisingly sealed in 1980s mint-condition, this Escher transported me into my childhood doctor's office where a framed poster was prominently displayed against a large wall flooded of hospital mint-green. Mesmerized during each visit, it magically mitigated the stark cold stethoscope augmented by his steely clinical voice—it all seemed surreal then. The never-ending stairwell of hooded figures metaphorically mirrored the ambiguity of extended isolation we all faced. Mind-bending distraction and antioxidants accompanied. Christos is a 1st-gen Greek-American fine-artist whose photographs probe themes of socioeconomics, culture, history, and architecture. As strong symbolic sparks in a frenetic 21st-century, his creative intrigue is informed by identity, connection, nostalgia, and isolation.