Rent a dream

Dimitris Tzamouranis was born in 1967 in Kalamata. He studied painting and graphic arts at the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the School of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1985-1990) and then completed postgraduate studies in painting at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. In 1995 he received the G. and Z. In 1995 he received the G.G. Spyropoulos and G.G. Spyropoulos Prize and in 1999 he took part in a residency in Istanbul with a scholarship from the Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur. His artistic practice includes multiple means of expression: installations, painting, performance through which he attempted, in his early works, to articulate the diversity of his experiences of contemporary reality, as well as his reflections on the course of contemporary art. In the paintings of the 2000s he ventures and introduces beyond pure mysterious elements and characters, where reality and dreams are subtly intertwined, the depictions of the paintings seem magical and the lighting, light and shadow add a dramatic film-like effect capturing deep human fears and central themes of our lives: love, longing, hope, pain and the search for meaning. The most recent works, large-scale painting compositions, are based on staged scenes, which he sets up in his studio and star familiar faces from his environment. Since 1990, he has held more than forty solo exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout Europe (Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Switzerland). In 2013 a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Frissiras Museum in Athens. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, major international events and cultural organizations. In 2017 he participated in documenta 14 in Kassel, Germany. He lives and works in Berlin and Kalamata.