Aimilios Metaxas (b. 1999, Athens, Greece) is an emerging artist who, despite being early in his career, has already established a compelling and noteworthy presence in the contemporary art world. His work inhabits the threshold between the tangible and the ethereal, breathing life into a space where physical and spiritual realities converge. Through a distinctive practice that expands the boundaries of what painting can be, Metaxas creates evocative works that challenge perception and invite contemplation.
Beginning his artistic journey at a young age under the mentorship of a visual development artist from Disney and Pixar, Aimilios later received a scholarship to study painting and visual arts at NABA in Milan and completed his MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2023. Influenced by artists such as Takashi Murakami, Izumi Kato, Carl Fabergé, and Eyvind Earle, he creates works that often resemble tapestries or jewel-encrusted surfaces. His distinct visual language gained early recognition through solo exhibitions in Athens in 2021 and has continued to attract international attention with recent presentations in London, San Francisco, and China.
Now based between London and Athens, Aimilios draws deeply from the cultural richness of his birthplace—situated at the crossroads of East and West. His practice is rooted in painting, which he describes as the cornerstone of his artistic language, and is shaped by an immersive engagement with history, materiality, and the psychological forces that shape identity.
Metaxas’ canvases are inhabited by figures that transcend conventional norms, at times encased within intricate frames constructed from hand-embroidered silk and semi-precious stones. These elements not only reference his ancestral lineage as silk traders between Asia and the Byzantine Empire but also pay tribute to his mother’s embroidery—an emblem of care and continuity. For the artist, this meticulous craftsmanship becomes a metaphor for maternal love: a protective gesture that offers grounding and safety. Through this lens, his work preserves the spirit and psychological openness of childhood, even as it grapples with the complexities of navigating an adult world.
Employing an intuitive approach to painting, applying pigment directly onto the canvas allows the artist’s unfiltered emotion to emerge—free from the constraints of conscious thought. His compositions are often inhabited by jewel-adorned, cartoon-like creatures that invite viewers into a world of shared humanity, one grounded in intuition, innocence, and emotional truth.
Rooted in history yet reaching toward the spiritual, these enigmatic figures offer a mirror—urging viewers to reflect on the liminal space between the physical and the metaphysical. With a practice that blends psychological depth, childlike wonder, and material refinement, Aimilios continues to captivate and challenge audiences across cultural boundaries.
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