Rebecca Camhi gallery is hosting one of its most ambitious projects to date:a retrospective exhibition of the artist Konstantin Kakanias, who has collaborated with the gallery for 30 years.

“Divine Personality Disorder” highlights the multifaceted work of Kakanias, produced mainly in Greece and California, where he blends his life as a globally peripatetic artist with his Greek roots.

The exhibition will feature a selection of paintings, magazine illustrations, sculptures, photographs and sound recordings produced from 1996 to the present day. The subjects range from deep psychological childhood trauma to sexuality, consumerism, religion, social class, addiction, despair and humour through dramatic paintings or fun illustrations.

His versatile themes oscillate between disturbing imaginary narratives and glamorous caricatures. Through the exacting lens of his muse and alter-ego, Mrs. Tependris, Kakanias explores Greek identity, cosmopolitanism and the illusion of an elitist lifestyle. The exhibition will also include photos in which the artist cross-dresses to embody characters, whether heroic or roguish—often both.

A specially designed maze at the gallery will lead visitors into the darker side of the artist’s universe, with works inspired by antiquity and classical painting, imbued with a personal mythology.  It will also include works from the 2009 exhibition “Daniel,” connected to the time Kakanias spent on Mount Athos, the monastic peninsula in northern Greece. During this period, his interactions with the monks intertwined with introspective reflections on his childhood. In these works, dreams and nightmares seem to spring from the canvas. These memories are metaphorically represented by scenes set in deep, dark forests, at the bottom of the sea, or under starry nights, transporting us to levels of deep consciousness and a mystical universe.

The exhibition continues with joyful sarcasm through the old and new adventures of the inimitable Mrs. Tependris, including works from the “Athens 2004 Olympic Games” exhibition, and “That’s Mine Bitch. Do Not Touch. Back Off” (2018), as well as her other obsessions such as quarantine diaries, fashion fads and plastic surgery.

Since its launch in 2019,the artist has created illustrations for Greek Vogue’s “Last Page,” where he presents a couture-clad Mrs. Tependris in situations that re-examine Greek civilization through the ages. Additionally, the exhibition will feature illustrations created for The New York Times and Town & Country magazines.

Kakanias will also present two limited-edition sound recordings from 2002, recorded while while driving along California’s 101 freeway and produced in collaboration with artist Marina Rosenfeld. Only 40 vinyl copies were pressed.

With a critical eye, Kakanias’ work strives to achieve catharsis in response to the contemporary human condition. He states, “Whether through comedy or satire, and with complete freedom, my work is a constant search for the balance between the extremely superficial world and my innermost self, in order to reveal my pathos and obsessions.”

Exhibition curation: Konstantin Kakanias, Rebecca Camhi

Exhibition design: AKA-APOSTOLOU COLAKIS ARCHITECTS

Biography:

Konstantin Kakanias began his artistic career studying fashion at Studio Berçot in Paris, France, from 1981 to 1984, then Egyptian art in Luxor, Egypt, in 1985. His original illustrations have graced the pages of prestigious publications such as Interview, the Los Angeles Times and Vogue Italia. His creative contributions extend to the luxury goods industry, where he has collaborated with houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Christian Lacroix and extensive collaborations with Christian Louboutin, from designing accessories for the Greekaba collection to painting murals for the Grecian suites of the Vermelho hotel (Portugal).

Kakanias gained international recognition in 1996 when he won second prize in Illustration category, in a national competition, with his New York Times drawing “she only wears
couture”. The same year Rebecca Camhi gallery exhibited for the first time his work in Athens and Basel. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues such as the UC Berkeley Art Museum in U.S.A., the Benaki Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum (EMST) in Athens (permanent collections). Recently, his enchanted world was translated into artist’s furniture, exhibited at PAD Paris in April 2024 and created murals for the Amber Cellar restaurant (commissioned by hotel Mitsis in Pireus, Athens) and more recently, for Fanny’s, the restaurant at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Exhibitions:

Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York / Gavlak, Los Angeles and Palm Beach / Postmasters, New York / UC Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley /The Armory Show, New York, in USA / Jennifer Flay, Paris, France / Galerie Art and Public, Geneva and Art Basel in Switzerland / Rebecca Camhi gallery, Athens / Kalfayan galleries, Thessaloniki & Athens / Veta Tsoukala design shop at Stefanidou Tsoukala, Athens / Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens / Benaki Museum, Athens, among others.

Publications:

“Mrs. Tependris… Just Before the Olympic Games” (Olympic Secretariat of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 2004), ‘Mrs. Tependris: the Contemporary Years’ (Rizzoli, 2002) ‘Freedom or Death’ (Stubbs Inc., 1997) .

He has also collaborated on publications such as “Frederic Malle: On Perfume Making” (Angelika Books, 2012), “The Bergdorf Goodman Cookbook” (Laura Silverman, 2015), and “Be the Wonder Woman You Can Be” (DC Comics, 2008), created with Diane Von Furstenberg.