"I have never made an actual baby, but for me, making art feels like the opposite of what I imagine that is like. Conception is painful, but pushing the thing out is the fun bit."

Christos Michaelides was born in 1983 in London. He graduated from the Athens School of Fine Arts in 2010. In 2008 he obtained an Erasmus scholarship and attended a term at the Slade School of Fine Arts. He completed the Royal College of Arts MA Painting programme in 2023. Awarded with the commendation at the 3rd Frissiras Museum Award of European Painting (2017, Athens), his most recent solo and group exhibitions were at Alpha CK gallery in Nicosia (A safe place for mistranslations, 2022, solo show),The Project Gallery in Athens (Gender Melancholia, 2021, group show) and at Crux gallery in Athens (Someone Else’s Nostalgia, 2021, group show)

In the process of discovering myself, I have revealed some strong psychological figures (inner child, feminine side, tyrannical side, contemporary side). I noticed that some paths went entirely differently when designing or thinking about new works. For example, the process of creating oil paintings was utterly different from the process of creating sculptures. The process of creating sculptures also differed from the design of bas-reliefs. I asked myself why the sculptures appeared in my head without much effort and why I feel completely different when I think about paintings and bas-reliefs. Now I am convinced that there are different psychological sides to me. When I’im designing sculptures, I do it from the female side (Feminine Side). In my sculptures, you can feel a lot of emotion, expression, grace, and emotional awareness. I noticed that my reliefs are being made on the Tyrannical side. You can see in the "brutalism" angular, sharp shapes and a monochrome palette of colors. I have known for a long time that there is an extremely childlike side to me. One of the most critical moments in my artistic process was when I started to paint with only my left hand. This process consumed me. I was in a trance. I forgot about time and barriers literally as a child. It was and still is a powerful experience. I have unknowingly tried to include all my sites in oil paintings (contemporary side). I tried to convey a political and social message, a childlike character, emotions, a certain style, etc. However, from now on, I will explore individual projects as separate psychological sides/figures. I will not force them together. I will allow them to create as separate entities. It is one of the most important discoveries in my artistic career so far.

Johan Deckmann was born in 1976 in Copenhagen, where he continues to live and work today. As both an artist and practicing psychotherapist, Deckmann takes found objects, namely books, and paints witty titles or pensive phrases in English which provide satirical commentary on the complexities of life. Deckmann’s psychological background directly informs his artistic practice, which incorporates universally relatable fears and commonly experienced trials and tribulations. While seemingly modest in form, the artist’s works employ the power of language to their full extent—albeit in a playful manner—pushing viewers towards self-reflection. Over the past several years, Deckmann has shown in numerous exhibitions across the globe, including in Copenhagen, New York, London, Tokyo, Rome, and São Paulo. His work is also part of the public art collection Colección SOLO in Madrid.