Cataclysms II, the second part of David Benforado’s exhibition at the Kourd Gallery, comprises a series of brightly coloured pieces with transparencies, faint hues, and whites dominating the surfaces. Eleni Varopoulou curated Cataclysms I and Cataclysms II, dividing the selected works among two successive shows based on colour criteria and guided by the transition from darkness to light.

“Consistent in his artistic exploration and with the same momentum in his painting gestures, Benforado continues a magical journey in the world of pigments, abstract shapes, fluid forms. Although the abstract language has not changed its starting point, the feeling that the paintings of the second part exude is very different from that of the first. As the play with the surrounding atmospheres turns to other directions and the mood for vibrant colors, for the fantastic and lyrical element is revealed, it is as if a harbinger of joy is juxtaposed against the darkness”, notes the exhibition’s curator.

David Benforado was born in Athens in 1977. He studied painting and sculpture/installation at Brandeis University (USA) under Graham Campbell, Susan Lichman, Tom Bills and Enrico Gatson. He continued his studies at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Budapest) under Akos Birkas. For the past 17 years he has lived in various European cities, such as London, Berlin, Florence but also on the island of Syros. In September 2020 he moved to Athens with his family.

Benforado has participated in numerous group exhibitions and projects such as at the Frissiras Museum in Athens, at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete in Rethymnon and at the Jewish Museum of Berlin. He has held solo exhibitions at the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Berlin, at the Jewish Museum of Greece and has collaborated with the Fondazione Elpis for his solo exhibition in Tratalias, Sardinia.

*translated from Greek to English, Anna Zarifi

Kourd Gallery, Athens.
2 Kassianis str.

Exhibition hours: Tuesday – Friday 12 – 20 h, Saturday 11 – 15 h