Dangerously close to the limits of cliché, Diamantis Aidinis’ work has always seemed impossible to catalogue, to archive, to define. From complex and voluminous paintings to small bronze toys and from there to small, quick, black and white drawings. He always combined impressive technical constructions and quirky pictorial twists with commentary on the mass culture of our time and contemporary art, a strong sense of humour and often, a bittersweet melancholy. Of particular interest is his humorous commentary on the world of visual artists. The venue is usually the halls of a gallery or museum. Secular and friendly with glasses in hand, art critics with a bitter or exploratory style, stylish gallerists, eccentric or vulnerable artists. On the occasion of these works, Aidinis comments on all recent (and not so recent) art history, with his works interspersed with miniature versions of well-known works and pictorial mischief. Elsewhere he makes huge panoramic views of imaginary metropolises filled with the signs of modern civilization (signs, cars, and of course, people). At a time of intense ferment and crisis in the art world, the artist intervenes with a light-hearted humorous eye that opens up conversations about the way things work. […]

Thanasis Moutsopoulos
Associate Professor of Art History at the National Technical University of Athens.

*Excerpt from the text by Thanasis Moutsopoulos in the book “Agenda, 2007 The Games”, Scooter Books, 2006.