Sotiris Kizilos, an illustrator and visual artist based in Athens, moves along an artistic path that balances between the personal and the imaginative. After nearly a decade in the fields of design and advertising, he chose to carve out a more introspective route, creating works that reflect his own perspective. Sometimes dark, sometimes dreamlike, his pieces are always infused with symbolism and emotional intensity.
Art as a Means of Expression
For Kizilos, art has always been a form of expression — whether through painting or through music. Today, through illustration, he explores themes such as dreams, human relationships, the loneliness of the urban landscape, and the uncertainty of the future. Eyes and faces serve as key symbols in his visual language, acting as carriers of ongoing inner inquiry.
Color and Style
Color is one of his primary expressive tools. Purple and magenta, characteristic of his visual universe, reveal a futuristic, cyberpunk world filled with neon reflections and shadowy tones. Yet, he avoids confining himself to a specific style or palette, maintaining a sense of freedom that allows him to experiment continuously.
The Creative Process
His creative process is more experiential than planned. It often begins with an emotion, an abstract image, or even the influence of a film or a piece of music. With dedication, patience, and persistence, he follows his instinct — often spending countless hours in front of a screen or paper — searching for the form that will give substance to his original idea.
Music as a Creative Catalyst
Music is an essential part of his creative routine. From techno and psytrance to soul-jazz and psychedelic electronica, these sounds accompany and amplify his imagination. If his works had a soundtrack, they would sit somewhere between Blade Runner and a futuristic rave — a sonic landscape that balances between sensitivity and intensity.
Cinematic and Artistic Influences
Films such as The Matrix, Inception, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Blade Runner have left an indelible mark on his thinking and visual style. With existential exploration and strong visual tension as their common thread, they deeply inspire him. Likewise, visual artists like Max Löffler, Sandro Rybak, Parra, and Hieronymus Bosch shape his artistic vocabulary — with Joseph Melhuish standing out as a more recent influence.
Art as an Act of Balance
For Sotiris Kizilos, art is a way of life — an ongoing act of balancing between the artificial and the emotional, the individual and the imaginary. It is an act of conscious presence, a way to survive — not merely to express.
You can follow him on Instagram to see more of his work, or visit his website.
