The idiomatic universe of Elias Kasselas’ works is composed of forms and symbols inscribed within realms of the imaginary, the transcendental, and the nightmarish, indistinguishably. Magical elements, theurgy, alchemy, and primordial symbolism—expressed in a manner similar to ancient religions—assert their presence through a contemporary composition, serving the artist as a language to rearticulate deeper existential concerns. The familiar symbols used are primordial, while the lesser-known ones are the product of semi-automatic writing, resulting from a truce between the unconscious and the conventions of drawing and composition. 

Although his works may appear episodic, they are not narrative in nature. Each work can be likened to a classical music symphony. While it may consist of musical phrases, reading them in the score is not equivalent to experiencing the symphonic work as performed by an orchestra! Each work is a self-contained unit. An unexpressed ocean of images overflows whenever the artist begins to capture a work. The themes, symbols, compositions, and images that make up these complex, imaginative, and highly concept-dense pieces spring from a chaotic imaginative reservoir, balancing between the collective unconscious and primordial instincts, as well as dialogues between humans, the origin of creation, and the universe.

The works have a symbiotic relationship with their titles. These titles provide the mood of the work through a language that touches on automatic writing. They are not necessarily descriptive, nor do they explain the meanings of the work. They simply offer a hint of the framework within which the symbols, actions, episodes, and forms, and the overall becoming of the work, are situated. In a sense, which goes beyond the usual role of titles in individual artworks, the titles are an integral part of the works themselves.

Elias Kasselas’ artistic production is difficult to categorize within a specific genre, style, or type of art. With characteristics akin to magical realism, but with a morphology far from realistic, displaying surrealistic tendencies at times, yet employing techniques that surrealism traditionally avoids, with linear elements and parallel Pop Art features, profound meanings that are simultaneously universal, and a clear flirtation with the upcycling movement in visual art—though his works are paintings rather than constructions as dictated by that movement—his creations captivate, provoke thought, and stand out for their originality and consistency in style.

Kasselas cites influences from Austin Osman Spare, Hieronymus Bosch, and Vincent van Gogh. Those familiar with the works of the first two can easily discern the thematic and visual influences from Spare’s explorations and Bosch’s use of forms and symbols. While the reference to Van Gogh may seem surprising, the artist clarifies that what fascinates him is the concept of “frozen movement,” which he relates to Van Gogh’s religious character. He explains that “the colors and shapes resemble matter seeking a higher purpose, another denominator towards something greater.”

Some of Elias Kasselas’ paintings engage in dialogue with philosophical movements or pivotal phases in the evolution of Western Esotericism and Ancient Religions. However, his work is not confined to these frameworks but interacts with them. For instance, *The Second Slaughter of the Sun God* plays with the Mithraic sacrifice of the bull on the level of impression—whether before or after the knife on the level of matter. *The Second Birth of Sophia* engages with Gnostic cosmogony, particularly the figure of Sophia, who is considered the feminine aspect of God and the Holy Bride of Christ, the mother of matter and thus of humanity, who longs for the dissolution of matter to reclaim her place. Her second birth symbolizes the cyclical nature of birth, death, and resurrection in Nature, synonymous with IAO. *The Unanimous Moment* describes, according to the artist, the feeling of artistic completion, which he equates with mystical fulfillment, much like how William Blake identified art with visionary imagination as a generative process of cosmogony. Kasselas adds that *The Unanimous Moment* “also serves as a beautiful description of a magical ritual that, after much effort, finally works as it should. Technically, the work reflects the general modus operandi of modern art at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s—the Cubist momentum, not so much stylistically but as a basis for contemplating the relationship between space and time and beyond: I want to bring the 5th dimension into play, and the 5th dimension may very well be the imagination.”

The adage “there is no virgin birth in art” fades when one carefully studies Elias Kasselas’ works. While it is not negated, it loses its value as an observation. Originality is not the primary goal, as the signifier has been expressed many times before: it is the suspicion of a new signified that captivates, providing fresh food for thought that cannot be ignored.

Paris Kapralos
Art Curator

[Documentation text for the solo exhibition *The Unanimous Moment*, “Technohoros”, Athens, 2022]