Happy on the prairie Painting

NIKOLAOS (NIKOS) SMYRNIOS was born in Edessa, Greece, to parents of Asia Minor descent. In his early 20s he immigrated to Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied in the Institute of Graphic Arts and the National College of Art & Design, a school which is considered as the heart of Scandinavian Design. Working in relevant professional and academic environments in both Sweden and Greece, he gained valuable experience and exceptional skills which have been reflected in his long lasting creative activity. The collection presented in the Saatchi online constitutes a small portion of Smyrnios' work and represents only few of the media he explored (painting, video, animation, graphic art) and the ideas he expressed through varied styles. Being actively engaged in the education of applied arts, as well as in graphic design, Smyrnios has managed to establish his artistic identity as a “child of his time”, interacting continuously with the modern spirit and New Media, adapting and discarding the elements of the Zeitgeist. ******************************************* STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST Aiming to invention and innovation, but remaining at the same time connected to the modernist tradition,  I base my art in the belief that painting should be a synthesis of visual forces, generated by distinct realities and their juxtaposition. Thereby, a broad experimentation in both subject and technique is of great importance, as well is to keep in touch with inner self. I have been influenced by Surrealism, Pop Art and Op Art, but mainly by the theories of Stylistic Pluralism that suggests the liberation of artists from being bound to one particular artistic identity, manifested in oneparticular style. Stylistic pluralism treats different artistic perspectives as constituents of the global art collective, each integrated into the global culture and feeding off each other’s strengths.         My long-term professional involvement as a graphic designer and illustrator as well as my early acquaintance with digital media, allow me to use a variety of techniques in order to create versatile and unique works that challenge viewers to engage in new and different visual logics.