“In-Between” by Emilio Papaevangelou

More than 60 works, created almost exclusively with ballpoint pen

Between the pharmacy counter and the surface of the canvas. Between logic and instinct. Between the obligations of everyday life and a deep, persistent need for artistic expression, Emilio Papaevangelou paints as naturally as he breathes.

For the first time, he steps outside the boundaries of his pharmacy, which also functions as his studio and beyond the region of Locris in Central Greece, where he lives and works, to present his practice in Athens through his solo exhibition “In-Between”, hosted at European Centre Athens.
The exhibition is curated by art historian Elisavet Plessa.

More than 60 works, drawn almost exclusively with ballpoint pen, sometimes on the pages of monthly desk calendars, other times on canvas are brought together, inviting viewers to navigate the fundamental dualities that shape both Papaevangelou’s life and artistic practice: Italy and Greece, artist and pharmacist, abstraction and figuration, small and large scale. The exhibition does not merely recount the story of an artist balancing between two worlds, but allows the audience to follow the autonomous evolution of his visual language.

“I want my painting to reflect human existence and belief grounded in rationality, yet driven by intensity,” Papaevangelou explains, defining the core of his work.

Curator Elisavet Plessa reflects on the artist’s technique and the distinctive studio environment housed within his pharmacy:

“Papaevangelou’s choice of tools, primarily ballpoint pen, alongside dozens of nibs, fountain pens, markers, pencils, and acrylics on paper or canvas, is far from arbitrary. It emerges from a given condition that transforms practical necessity into a creative process, defined by specific surfaces and pigments. Rather than restricting him, this framework offers a space of freedom within which his painting effortlessly finds its own path.”

About the Artist

Born in 1972 in Alatri, Italy, Emilio Papaevangelou studied Pharmacy at Sapienza University of Rome. He is the owner of a pharmacy in Locris (Central Greece), where he moves daily between his dual roles as pharmacist and artist.

In 2019, he became an active member of the Stuttgart-based collective KUN:ST International, with which he continues to collaborate. In 2021, his work Decoder received the First Audience Award, while in 2023 Meseona was awarded the Second Prize by the artistic committee. His work has been presented in six international exhibitions, as well as in one solo and five group exhibitions in Greece.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated bilingual (Greek–English) catalogue.

As part of the exhibition program, a public conversation between Emilio Papaevangelou and curator Elisavet Plessa will take place, including a guided tour of the exhibition space, on 24 January and 7 February at 12:30.