“I'm thinking of everything from Pussy Riot and Ai Weiwei’s courageous stands for freedom of speech and human rights to ecologically inspired work like Buster Simpson’s Beckoning Cistern and Konstantin Dimopoulos’s Blue Trees.” - Julia Hensley, Seattle NEWS
Konstantin Dimopoulos is a conceptual and social artist whose art practice is grounded in his sociological and humanist philosophies. He investigates globally relevant questions related to ecology and the human condition through his socio-environmental interventions, sculptures and conceptual proposals, which argue for the potential of art as a means of social engagement and change.
He was born in Port Said, Egypt to Greek parents and grew up at the mouth of the Suez Canal until the age of eight, when the family moved to Wellington, New Zealand to escape a political upheaval. With this diverse cultural and political history, the artist has created art interventions on issues including emigration, environmental ecocide, homelessness, and genocide.
His social art installations lend voice to global issues around social justice and the environment, specifically deforestation. He focuses on creating art with “a visual platform to effect change.” Placing his sculptures with organic forms in developed urban environments, he draws attention to the processes of transformation and change.The Blue Trees, an ongoing environmental art installation about deforestation where the artist uses a vibrant blue to temporarily transform living trees into a surreal environment. Meanwhile, The Purple Rain is a textual and visual response to homelessness; and his light works continue this thematic exploration of social issues using a commercial advertising medium.
Dimopoulos graduated from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with a degree in sociology and psychology. He later went on to study art at the Chelsea School of Art in London. His signature linear sculptures are a part of public spaces and private collections throughout Australia and internationally in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand.
Throughout his career, Dimopolous has been nominated for numerous awards in recognition of his artistic achievements, particularly his ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental issues.