Dean Monogenis
Dean Monogenis paintings evoke surroundings composed by architectural elements associated to more natural ones. He depicts unfinished buildings, colourful scaffoldings, residential buildings in the middle of rocky landscapes covered by vegetation; sometimes under a stormy sky or a colored abyss. Monogenis refers to a permanent state of transition and mutation, a fight between urbanisation and nature that resists to this invasion.
Since the collapse of the twin towers, Monogenis realised that buildings are meant to live and die, the same way humans do. This idea of alteration pushes him to search for examples of transformation around him. In general, he paints on wood or plastic pannels with stencils. This mix of different painting techniques allows to bring more graphic elements to the handpainted parts. The lines, edges and textures are very important to him.
To enhance contrasts, he frequently paints big zones, like skies, which give the impression that the items are embedded lacking depth. This creative process brings tension to the foreground, challenging the boundary between foreground and background. In his work, progression invites to remodel. Therefore, Monogenis frequently smoothes areas to bring them back to their original aspect. This allows him to be precise whithout compromising his spontaneity and his improvision sense.
