ADDITION: 004

Christos Dikeakos
Opening Saturday, April 6th, 2-4 p.m

ADDITION
638 Kinghorne Mews (water side)
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6Z 3H5

WAAP
www.waapart.com
@waapart

CHRISTOS DIKEAKOS, a luminary in the realm of conceptual photography since the late 1960s, has woven a rich tapestry through his photographic oeuvre, profoundly impacting the Vancouver art scene and beyond. His seminal works from the 1980s and 1990s, particularly the “Sites” and “Place Names” series, have catalogued urban landscapes and their embedded narratives, traversing locales from Vancouver to Saskatoon, Athens, and Berlin. These projects are a testament to his deft exploration of collective memory, history, and the architectural typologies that define contemporary urbanity.

In recent years, Dikeakos unveiled a masterful exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art, a comprehensive amalgamation of drawing, collage, sculpture, and photography that spans four decades of diligent study and dialogue with the oeuvre of French-American icon Marcel Duchamp. This was swiftly followed by “Nature Morte,” a poignant photographic study of the Southern Okanagan’s apple orchards, unearthing the delicate balance between nature and human intervention.

Originating from Thessaloniki, Greece, Dikeakos resettled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where his Greek heritage and Canadian environment synergized to forge a unique artistic perspective. His career trajectory, from the vibrant suburbs of 1960s Vancouver to the present, encapsulates a diverse array of subjects, including the majestic landscapes of Canada, the dynamic urban sprawl of Athens, and the intimate moments of individuals against the backdrop of historical edifices. This eclectic collection was recently celebrated in his first retrospective in Greece, hosted by the Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, marking a significant milestone in his illustrious career.

Dikeakos’ contributions to the Photoconceptualism movement have been instrumental, continuously engaging with local histories and the socio-economic dimensions of place. His pioneering work in “Sites and Place Names” underscores his status as the inaugural Canadian artist to capture North American urbanscapes with a lens focused on their pre-colonial past, an endeavour that has since spanned continents. The “Pâtisserie Duchamp / Puis-je fumer?” exhibition further illustrates Dikeakos’ longstanding fascination with Duchamp, bridging various art forms to provide a comprehensive insight into Duchampian thought.

Dikeakos’ legacy is commemorated in public collections, including but not limited to the Audain Art Museum, Whistler; Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa; Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; and the Vorres Art Museum, Peania, Greece.

In partnership with architect Noel Best, Dikeakos also contributed “The Lookout,” a public commission that has become a landmark in Vancouver’s urban tapestry. His work, celebrated in major public collections across Canada and internationally, solidifies Christos Dikeakos as a pivotal figure in the dialogue between art, memory, and the evolving narrative of landscapes and identities.