Birds …”built” nests in the Art Showcases of OTE in Thessaloniki

Eagles, sparrows and crows have built nests in the center of Thessaloniki. Passers-by passing through Karolou Dill Street can see them up close and observe them. This is the painting and installation exhibition entitled “Omens” by the young artist Nikolas Baltzis, which has been hosted for a few days now at the Art Showcases of OTE.

The artist himself feels from an early age a very strong identification with the eagle, which is – as he says, the animal – a spirit that expresses his character.

“I wanted to express this identification to the world and narrate it through my works.

But apart from the fact that this is my starting point, I leave the whole framework open for interpretation, so that everyone can read it according to their own emotional experience”, says Nikolas Baltzis to the Athenian/Macedonian News Agency.

Drawings made with ink and charcoal, impress with how realistically they have been captured.

“Precisely because there is this experiential identification with this particular bird, I have studied it a lot and have done anatomy lessons on it, mainly so that I can paint it better, but also so that we can become one,” says Mr. Baltzis.

“Besides the eagle, there is also the sparrow, this sweet, beautiful being, but also the crow, which has a … mystical energy,” he adds.

As for the environment in which the birds will “live” during the exhibition, it was curated by Yiannis Argyriadis, the man who inspired the OTE Art Showcases and has been running the project from the very beginning.

“There are installations with nests, eggs and patterns, on the walls, on the floor, even hanging from the ceiling…” said the artist, thanking Mr. Argyriadis.

Nikolas Baltzis is 26 years old and graduated from the School of Fine Arts just a few months ago. Although he paints various subjects depending on his artistic concerns, birds dominate the focus of his artistic expression.

“From my first year at school until now, which is about seven years ago, I have been dealing almost exclusively with birds. I envisioned this exhibition for a very long time and finally the moment has come to present it to the world”, he said characteristically.

The artist’s first solo exhibition is entitled “Omens”, which was inspired by ancient Greece.

“It is the study that ancient people did according to how birds interact in the environment. That is, in relation to how they fly it, their plumage or their behavior, we can make an interpretation for the future or even the present”, he said.