A CONVERSATION WITH VISUAL ARTIST STYLIANOS PAPARDELAS
I live and work anywhere I can find an opportunity to create something interesting and meaningful for me and others. Currently I am at my beloved island of Crete. In the past 15 years I have travelled over 40 countries around the world creating my first book called “Duality” and worked at Barretstown, a beautiful organization founded by Paul Newman in Ireland. I’ve had the luck to work with a lot of creative people around the world on documentaries, photography, ngo’s, performances, movies and more. Highlights include watching the immense amount of water dropping from Iguazzu Falls, living with families on railroad tracks in India, to photographing the work of miners inside a mountain in 4090m above sea level.
We are grateful to have you here with us Stylianos please tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences?
When I am present literally EVERYTHING is interesting to me. But the moments I feel the biggest inspiration is when I am in love. Falling in love, truly, selflessly, inspires me the most to create art. Lately, I have realized that when I hold the person I am in love with, I cannot tell the difference between my body and theirs. These moments have allowed me to understand that there is no separation between us and everything else in the Universe.
My greatest influences are my parents, my mother who is one of the most creative humans I know with a deep soul and my father one of the most social and goodhearted souls that exists.
I’ve had the privilege to meet Jane Goodall and what a delight that was! Only being around her for five minutes changed my life.Others; Paul Newman and David Bowie, Garry Winogrand and one of his photographs made me want to become a photographer. Also James, Guio, Lian, Manolis, Kostis, Sandra, Karina and a thousand other friends and strangers from all over the world who influenced me to become the person I am today.
Tell us a bit about your creative process?
I love feeding my self data, REAL data. I love exploring anything I possibly can and engaging with people! I love listening and talking to strangers, friends, anyone really. I have learned everything from people. I try to spend most of my time looking, listening, feeling, discussing, experiencing life at its fullest. And I don’t really need to record and note everything. Having the actual experience gives me the sensual connections to eventually remember the ideas and things I need.
When I feel full of life, or completely empty of it, I need to express myself. This is the moment that I grab a camera, or a notebook or really anything and I am trying to start doing without thinking, no thoughts at all. In that way I tap into the flow of what I do and try to enjoy the ride.
Later, in a quiet moment, I will sit with a cup of coffee and a cigarette and look back at what I did.
How has the pandemic affected your creativity and how do you see the world changing?
The pandemic helped me find myself quicker than I would. This year gave me the opportunity to reach the highest and the lowest point in my life and finally find the balance I was looking for. It was the first time I realized deeply that I absolutely express myself through ART. Even though I created a lot through the pandemic, I think the most important was that I created the physiological groundwork for my future wellbeing and creative endeavours.
When the world shut down and everyone on the entire planet was forced to stay home and take measures, I started being massively optimistic. See, personally this restricted life was not a new concept for me. In 2003 (age 15) I got diagnosed with cancer, and I was forced to stay in the hospital. My immune system was really low so I had to wear a mask everywhere (you had to see the looks on people’s faces on the street back then!) so I couldn't live a normal life. Similar but even more strict than the pandemic. So, seeing how this affected my life in a positive way, I started believing that a similar shock would affect people in a similar way. I was naive and ALMOST wrong. Of course life and the relation between seven billion people is such a complicated matter that it cannot just be solved by a the shock of one pandemic.
During the pandemic, digital life and loneliness grew exponentially, the rich became even richer and the poor desperately poor. Nature “took a break” for a while, but we polluted the environment with more plastic than ever. When the numbers of Covid cases dropped we started “booming” back in our “good old ways” as a reaction to the pressure of the lockdown. But there is an upside! For every action there is reaction, everything in nature works this way. I believe we are close to a tipping point. What is going to actually happen? I really don’t know but I am keeping my positive attitude.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
Even though I am a visual artist I don’t like the idea of the “Icon” when we are referring to a fellow human being. It makes it harder for them to live normally and it sets an unrealistic expectation for all. But if I had to pick one, that would be “Larry” from Agios Nikolaos.
What does wellbeing mean to you, and what do you practice?
To observe myself enough so I know truly what my body and mind need to be at peace.
Then it’s the connection with nature and others. I NEED others, we all do! I trust and believe in my fellow humans, strangers or not, I believe in our deepest, we are all good. This perspective of acceptance, trust and love of myself and the other keeps me happy and content, keeps me well.
Ps: Loneliness will kill us, trust me.
Anything else you would like to share dear Stylianos?
Be well and free