In Konstantinos Kantartzis’ recent solo exhibition Perception Exercises at Batagianni Gallery,
the artist explores the multiple intersections between body, biology, knowledge, perception and
power. Through a series of works that intertwine medical precision with poetic metaphor, the
body is presented as a vehicle of both fragility and resistance, while an attempt is made to
rearrange the way we perceive the body, not only as a physical presence, but also as a meeting
point of experiences, institutions and symbols. On the other hand, the viewers are invited to
choose the narrative and take responsibility for it. They are not expected to explain, but to
observe. Observation becomes an exercise and perception breaks the usual patterns, as images
are not exhibited but instead ways of looking and feeling.
The human body is at the center of Kantartzis’ works, and especially its non-visible side, what
exists under the skin, such as the vertebrae, the lungs, and the brain, perhaps due to his parallel
capacity as doctor. The science of medicine offers him the ability to look beyond the flesh and
extract legible forms of the internal chaos of the human body. His forms, however, do not
resemble the brutality found in depictions of the anatomy of a corpse, as he is interested in
“playing” with the multiple readings that arise from the phenomenon of Pareidolia, which is the
tendency of the brain to find meaningful connections in vague and meaningless data and
information (such as objects and ideas), derived from previous experiences. Thus, the Perception
Exercises become a way of training to stimulate and enhance perception.