Interview by Jimon

1-Where do you reside and work currently? I’m a globetrotter but currently I am in Greece.

2-How would you describe Dimitri Likissas? Jack of all trades (a master of none), a Mc Gyver, a ‘can do’ person. Never says no when a challenge is presented. Interested in any subject and in the endless pursuit of making things work.

3-When did you first start making art and what lead you to start? When I was about Fifteen years old I had the chance to paint the walls in a trendy nightclub in Belgium with my bigger brother. At school, kids asked me to paint their denim jackets and pants. I was lucky to have had the chance to meet Keith Haring, Nam June Paik and Nikki de St. Phalle when I was a kid, and it was certainly inspiring to meet creatives.

4-Did you have any training for your art or is it inherent? I am an auto didact; I don’t believe you need to go to school to become an artist. Anyone can be an artist. You go to school for art if you want to paint or create in a certain way and want to know how to do it. Why to go to school if you know how. Specially in this moment of time when you can find everything online.

5-Best advice you ever received in regards to your art? The best advice I received is to be patient. Being patient is not easy when you are full of ideas. You also have to be able to make it economically work. Being an artist is a balancing act of staying alive and still being able to grow, growing meaning more income to become more free.

6-What influences you as an artist?  I like the 60’s and 70’s. If you look at that era, everything looked swank and cool, bold colors, bold motifs, bold shapes, bold designs. So I get influenced by bold striking imagery.

7-You work seems to be extremely intricate and time consuming. What is the origin of this art? My work is indeed time consuming. I have always been heavily influenced by the dot pattern of Roy Lichtenstein, again it has that 60’s and 70’s look including his use of primary colors. The dot pattern he used came about from enlarging comic books. I was working  at newspapers in the early 90’s where we had to make screens for rasterizing machines to be able to print photographs. That is the origin of what I do.

8-Why make art? It’s a job like any other, no different than a baker making bread or a carpenter making a piece of furniture. When there’s a need for X, someone has to produce X. I happen to have fun while creating and it’s a source great pleasure when people want my art.

9-How do you describe success as an artist? It all boils down to freedom. Freedom is very precious. When you can wake up when you want, do what you want, go where you want and not be dependent on anyone that is success.

10-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration? I don’t have anything specific, but during my waking hours, I am subconsciously scanning and looking for that striking image which I then would take a note off. That could be from watching TV, the internet, magazine or just walking on the street.

11-If you were to be stranded on a deserted island and you could bring one piece of art what would it be? A six feet penis in bronze sculpture.

12-Tell us something about the art world that you want to see changed?  Art fairs need to accept artists to have stands. Currently most serious art fairs only accept galleries to have stands. Also, you can’t get to work with institutions and museums if you don’t have elite connections.

13-If a movie was to be made about your life, where would it ideally take place and who would be the actor playing your part? On the French Riviera with Richard Gere.

14-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table? Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Picasso.

15-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio? I am not a freak who needs something external to be able to create. I don’t need anything.

16-How would someone find you on social media?  Instagram as @dimitrilikissas

17-Please name the first thing that comes to your mind while reading the following:

Art= Décor, nourishing the soul

Food= Enjoyment

Sports= Energy

Politics= Fucked up

Poor= Never get to that point

God= Bullshit

Rich= The result of personal effort

Luxury= work hard, play hard

Sex=not that special what they make it out to be

Picasso=greatest con-man on earth

Religion=Bullshit