That’s how it all started, while relaxing one evening at my friend Kyriacos’s office, John proposed I occupy myself with trash. At that moment I smiled without any particular enthusiasm. However within a short space of time, a series of coincidences occurred, which had a personal objective, and were not at all random.

Two days later the club with which I am in correspondence with, had programmed to clean a beach in our town, Kalamitsa. I decided to go and collect a few materials that would be useful. My car however broke down, so upon my late arrival they had just finished. I asked them “What goods did you bring me?” they answered that the beach didn’t have a lot of rubbish, however it was full of hundreds maybe even thousands of cigarette butts.

The mind spins and locks. Memories come up. Thought combinations at their best.

In the land of Virtue, gentlemanly personal conduct, Integrity, Enlightement and Democracy, a land that watered the spirit of the entire world that delivers admiration, what have we achieved, for us to be called their descendants?

What is going on in the same place but in another time with the greatness we inherited? Many years back at a well-known archeological site with a guide book at hand, we were looking for a magnificent mosaic floor in vain. Finally, when we found it we discovered that it was in front of us all this time but we could not see it because the whole place was full of trash. The mosaic was barely visible since it was covered with packages, bags and water bottles.

To me what follows looks like a natural reaction. Drawn not with brushes, but exclusively with cigarette butts from the beaches of this magnificent country that I am fortunate to live in, the paintings have been inspired by well-known ancient Greek statues.

The butts, products of today’s civilization, are used in order for me to paint with a different perspective respectfully approaching the incomparable creations of those really free spirited people, who once lived in this blessed land bathed in enlightenment.