Ithaka Darin Pappas "Aliens Of Akahtilândia" (insect photographs

Aliens of Akahtilândia
by Ithaka Darin Pappas (insect photographs & art/ book-exhibit)
*To book this exhibit or for merchandising inquiries please contact ithaka.official@gmail.com Aliens of AkahtiLândia I'd been living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for five years and was feeling it was time to move on, when after researching a tip from an anonymous stranger in October 2010, I investigated (and soon afterward purchased) a small brick house on an acre of jungle property just outside of the Serra do Mar Atlantic Forest Reserve on the southern coast of the State of São Paulo – about 400 miles south of Rio. Needless to say, it was a move that somewhat metamorphosized my mostly urban-suburban upbringing and adulthood. The immediate neighborhood of about 2000 acres, an area I call AkahtiLândia, is extremely rural. There is a native Guarani village just down the road, where many of the local residents literally live in mud and stick huts. There are several rivers and small mountains, exotic birds and wild animals. For the past four and a half years, I've been occupied with a mutated version of the life I've known since my early twenties: making art and music…and surfing, but this time in a neo-tropical forest environment. One of the things that has really impressed me most about the jungle is the insect life. Visually, there's no end to the variety. The colors and geometric forms are absolutely mind-blowing. To me, insects are living, cutting-edge, contemporary art forms. I spend several hours a week just observing and photographing them. And attempting to ID them… but sometimes that's impossible. Many of them have yet to be officially recognized by the scientific community. It's also probable that in creatures having such short reproductive cycles (some procreating more than thirty generations of offspring in a single year) that subtle adaptations are constantly resulting in new variations of existing species. I've noted some bugs with extremely sophisticated behavioral traits. A few, believe it or not, seem to demonstrate what appear to be real emotions. This relatively recent obsession of mine has fueled an entirely new body of work entitled, Aliens of AkahtiLândia - integrating all three of my visual mediums; sculpture, photographs and mixed-media paintings. The sculpture pieces, although based on actual insects I have seen or photographed, are modified and manipulated versions of the real thing, while the flat mixed-media pieces are normally truer to the actual insects that inspired them. I call them Aliens not only because of their seemingly unearthly eccentric multi-colored appearances and high IQs, but also because of their extremely complex, functional and almost indestructible body designs. Most people who believe in extraterrestrial life think that beings from other solar systems will appear somewhat humanoid and be more or less our size. I disagree. I find it more likely that they would be something much smaller and more insect-like. Imagine if some of these creatures already present on this planet originated from other parts of the universe. How would we even know it? One earth insect, the Tardigrade - aka the Water Bear, has already been proven to be capable of surviving the vacuum of space. And if one or more of the insect species already here was actually more intelligent than us, how could we even measure or determine that? (maybe they simply choose not to communicate with us). More importantly, would we admit something so much smaller in stature to mankind is in fact superior to us in many ways? Ithaka Darin Pappas (2015) ===========================
#Ithakadarinpappas #contemporaryart #wildlifephotography #aliens

Artists I Like: , Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Jasper John, Takashi Murakami, Romero Britto, David Hockney, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, AI Weiwei, Junko Koshino, Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois, Peter Blake, Shepard Fairy, Richard Prince, Kadinsky, Monet, Helen Frankenthaler, Kirin Kiki, Slavador Dali, Picasso, Duchamp, Kruger, Banksy, Odeith, Vhils, Basquiat, Futura 2000, Os Gemoes, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Camille Henrot, Tomie Ohtake, Stephen Antonakos, Chryssa, Alekos Fassianos, Chryssa Romanos, Lucas Samaras, Jannis Kounellis, Takis, Mike Kelly, Chaz Guest, Retna, Edward Ruscha, Damien Hirst, Jorge Marin, Gabriel Orozco, Dr. Lakra, Daniela Rossell, Damián Ortega, Carlos Amorales, Minerva Cuevas, Julieta Aranda, Yoshua Okon, Gabriel Kuri, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

"VIRIDI NEPHRITE (Moth)" A Recycled Surfboard Sculpture By: Ithaka

 

http://ithakaofficial.com/ (this piece available here):

or contact: ithaka.art@gmail.com

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Ithaka

                 

Born in California, multi-faceted visual artist, global wanderer and naturalist, Ithaka, first began experimenting with photography at the age of 5. By his late-teens, he was doing freelance magazine assignments for publications such as Thrasher Skateboarding.

During his early twenties he found regular work as a photographer in the West Coast music industry photographing hip hop artists such as NWA (Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E). Also during this period, living in Los Angeles, he began sculpting - primarily using discarded surfboards as his raw material of choice.

His own search for self-expression gradually distanced him from the more commercial applications of photographic work and he began exhibiting both his personal photographs and sculptures (often together) and began traveling extensively.

During the 90's, he relocated several times: Athens (six months), Tokyo (one year), Lisbon (six years) and in 2001 visited Brazil for the first time. Where, for a decade, he has divided his time between Southern California and a rural part of the state of São Paulo. And finally after more than half a year in Mexico, he has finally returned to reside in Southern California

As both a life-long surfer and a connoisseur of urban culture, Ithaka has long had an inner-conflict of city vs. nature. His influences have often been divided between the two worlds, but it's been there in Brazil his love for the wilderness has grown substantially. His new found passion for the jungle, and all of its mysteries, has become the dominant influence in all aspects of his visual work.

Ithaka – (born 1966 Anaheim, California)

Solo Exhibits:

2015 F+ Gallery - "Aliens From AkahtiLândia" (Sculpture, Painting and Photography)

2013 Hurley International Headquarters in Costa Mesa, California (Sculpture, Painting and Photography)

2012 Gallery WOA: Way Of Arts - Cascais, Portugal (Sculpture, Video & Photography)

2011 Nike Posto 5.0 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (sculpture)

2010 The Camp - Costa Mesa, California (sculpture, photography)

2010 Gallery Alma Do Mar - São Paulo, Brazil (sculpture. photography)

2008 Clash - Lisbon, Portugal (sculpture)

2007 Gallery WOA: Way Of Arts - Estoril, Portugal (sculpture)

2000 International Surfing Museum - Huntington Beach California (sculpture)

1998 Gallery Ze Dos Bois "Quality_Time: Part One" - Lisbon, Portugal (photography, text, performance)

1996 IPJ: Instituto Portuguesa Da Juventude "UMBILICUS" - Lisbon, Portugal(photography)

1995 Universidade Moderna - Lisbon, Portugal (sculpture)

1992 Gallery YMA -Tokyo, Japan (sculpture, photography)

1990 Pepperdine University – Los Angeles, California (sculpture)

Group Art Exhibits:

             2016 Surfboards On Parade

2014 Surfboards On Parade - Huntington Beach, California

2014 "Azores Wave Week - Ponta Delgado, São Miguel Island, Portugal

2013 McNamara Gallery - Nazaré, Portugal

2013 Sagres Surf Culture - Sagres, Portugal

2010 Oca Do Ibirapuera - São Paulo, Brazil

2007 Oca Do Ibirapuera - São Paulo, Brazil

2006 MIS - São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound, Brazil

2005 MIS - São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound, Brazil

2003 111 Minna Gallery - San Francisco, California

1999 Photo Impact Gallery - Los Angeles, California

1992 NICAF: Nippon International Contemporary Art Fair - Yokohama, Japan

             1990 Zero One Gallery Los Angeles

   Book Appearances

           2012 "Stop, Think, Go, Do: How Typography and Graphic Design Influence Behavior"

           Ithaka's photo series Umbilicus featured in book by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilic (Rockport publishers)

           2004 BELONG: A TV Journalist's Search for Urban Culture by Jennifer Morton (Canada)

           2003 ALTAS-LUZES - by Rita Carmo & Miguel Cadete (Portugal)

           2000 THE END OF PRINT by David Carson (graphic designer) (USA)