Joy of Alfama, 2017

Zokatos   Emerging artists

Inspired by the counterculture of the 90s, Zokatos naturally turned to street as his original ground of expression. He kept the brutality of graffiti, its suggestive strength and a very particular idea of painting. From the wall to the canvas, his work evolved, but he kept using Street Art techniques, mainly markers and the spray paint. His abstract and colorful compositions are in contrast with the grey universe of the Parisian bloc buildings where he grew up. His artwork, already rich and varied for a 29-year-old artist, is an original synthesis mixing street and abstract art, switching easily from spray paint, watercolor or paint to sculpture.The softness of his non figurative aesthetics made of forms and lively colors is in contrast with the spontaneity of his artistic gestures. We think then of an allegory of the dilemma of the urban artist with this constant tension between the street and the gallery space, and the canvas, a necessary tool, although often rejected by street artists.If we search for his sources of inspiration, we might think of the artists of the New York School, from Pollock's action painting to Sam Francis's post-painterly abstraction. He is also influenced by lyrical abstraction and artists such as Mathieu, Schneider or Hartung. Zokatos is an artist whose existence is conditioned by the artistic act of painting and for whom the canvas, the vital medium of expression, is an end in itself.