“Some things happen by accidentembrace them.” Mario Testino

It is indeed by accident that we, at Opera Gallery, first came across Russian artist Pokras Lampas’ work a couple of years ago. We remember seeing one of his now widely known “calligraphy on girls” videos and immediately being drawn to his style, colours and the perfect execution of his work. That first visual impact never left the back of our minds.

Thanks to social media, we were able to follow him in all anonymity, like secret admirers, for several years. Hidden behind our computer screen, we saw the young artist mature, his work and technique evolving into what we believe today has become the most sophisticated form of “Calligrafitti”. We were not the only ones to take notice of his talent, since Pokras has been in high demand for artistic and corporate projects, but also been commissioned by some of today’s biggest private art patrons in the world. Most notably, he has achieved exceptional feats such as setting the World Record for the biggest calligraphy work, proudly adorning a rooftop in Moscow and visible on Google Earth. Nothing indicated our path would cross and yet the Middle East brought us closer. Earlier this year, Pokras was the youngest artist selected to feature a well-curated selection of his artworks in the 7th edition of the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennale. This is when we had the chance to meet him in person and to probe his mind to fully understand his unique approach to calligraphy. Our long discussion evolved into one of the most natural artist-gallerist relationships. The first thing that stroke us is his relentless ability to push the boundaries of calligraphy further than anybody ever has. Whether in different alphabet, use of colours, mediums, instruments, textures, Pokras is showing an incredible maturity and curiosity. All of this passion and technique are now translated onto twenty gorgeous canvases, unveiled on the occasion of this solo show aptly titled “Calligrafuturism - Chapter 1.0”

Opera Gallery invites you to embrace this beautiful “accident” and to discover Pokras Lampas’ latest works for the duration of his first gallery show in the region.