// ABOUT THE ARTIST
// a craftsman of times and atmospheres
// a creator of extraordinary characters capable of connecting the domestic with echoes of the cosmic
— CLÀUDIA BRUFAU // Núvol
Euripides Laskaridis uses notions of ridicule and transformation to explore the perseverance of humankind in the face of the unknown.
His work is marked by a sense of contained chaos: deep and detailed dives that tap into who we are by staying true to the specifics of a most personal vision. Unconventional and non-linear, its plays with the possibilities of what lies all around – breaking, distorting, reforming and fiddling with commonplace materials and the detritus of everyday life to create the unexpected.
The body is the medium through which Euripides’ spaces come to life. The action always evolves and revolves around characters who are touchingly real and painstakingly realised, yet unashamedly imaginary. Through them open new territories that are – by sudden turns – hilarious and heart-rending, grotesque and affecting, frightening and absurd.
// BIO
// anarchic physical theatre that will live long in the memory
// a Greek exponent of the theatre of the absurd without inhibition and possessing enormous charisma
— GRAHAM WATTS // DanceTabs
Euripides Laskaridis is a director and performer. Two dominant themes run through his artistic identity: ridicule and transformation. His work transcends the boundaries of theatre, dance, and visual arts.
He studied acting in Athens at the Karolos Koun Art Theatre and directing (MFA) at New York’s Brooklyn College on an Onassis Foundation Scholarship. Performing since 1995, he has collaborated with directors such as Dimitris Papaioannou and Robert Wilson. In 2000, he started directing his own work, which includes stage and site-specific performances, as well as video artworks and award-winning short films.
In 2009, Euripides founded the OSMOSIS performing arts company and commenced showcasing his work at Greek festivals and venues, including the Athens Festival, the Greek National Theatre, and the artist-occupied Embros Theatre. In 2013, OSMOSIS also started conducting workshops and community projects.
The company’s first traveling stage work, RELIC, was selected for Aerowaves 2015. It premiered in Barcelona that same year and was subsequently featured at 38 international festivals and venues worldwide, including Lyon Biennale de la Danse, Palais de Tokyo (via Théâtre de la Ville) in Paris, the Barbican Pit in London, the Israel Festival in Jerusalem, and the Public Theater in New York. RELIC received two UK Theatre & Technology Award nominations and won in the Creative Innovation in Lighting category.
In 2017, TITANS, an international co-production (Canada, France, Greece, Holland & Portugal) premiered at the Athens Festival. It went on to tour extensively, with stops including Théâtre de la Ville – Les Abbesses, the Grec Festival of Barcelona, Julidans Amsterdam, the Coronet in London, and the Festival TransAmériques (FTA) in Montreal. The work was selected by the Hermès Foundation for its New Settings #7 program.
Euripides’ third touring stage work, ELENIT, continued this trajectory as another international co-production
(Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal & Spain) once again supported by the Hermès Foundation (New Settings #10). Premiering in 2019 at Onassis Stegi, ELENIT embarked on a wide journey with performances at venues including Théâtre de Liège, Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Festival TransAmériques (FTA) in Montreal and Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, among others. ELENIT’s lighting design won the 2021 Lighting Awards gold prize in Athens, while also marking a deeper foray into visual storytelling for Euripides—an element that has always been indispensable in his artistic lexicon.
In 2022, TOURNÉ was created, specifically tailored for the unique open-air amphitheatre of Ancient Epidaurus, known as Little Epidaurus. Commissioned by the Athens-Epidaurus Festival 2021 & 2022 and co-produced with OSMOSIS, the work received support from the contemporary art foundation NEON and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Euripides embarked on his visual arts journey in 2014 with a commission from the Libby Sacer Foundation. His project, SELF-PORTRAITS [Series A], explored the complexities of identity through a collection of curated photographic portraits of himself. A few years later, in 2018, the Athens Biennale AB6 invited him to expand his creative arsenal with THIRÍO, an unconventional persona that extends well beyond traditional stage boundaries.
In the summer of 2021, his self-portrait series was exhibited at the Hydra School Projects alongside two of his video artworks, ARTIST PORTRAIT and RELIC VITRINE. In that same year, Euripides enriched his collection with SELF-PORTRAITS [Series B], and in June 2023, both series were featured at the 58th Maribor Theatre Festival, along with four of his video-art pieces.
His visual art, including his photographic portraits and video artworks, was also featured in the expansive, site-specific project [KÁMARES], which premiered at the ConTempo Festival in Kaunas ECoC in
August 2022, with an enhanced version shown at the Eleusis European Capital of Culture in January 2023. [KÁMARES] is a unique multidisciplinary project that creatively fuses recycled elements from past works, alongside previously unreleased visual artworks. This project serves as a seamless hybrid, skillfully merging the realms of visual arts and performance, incorporating key elements from Euripides' artistic practice. The result is a wholly original, distinctive, and adaptable piece that dynamically responds to the requirements of the sites where it is presented.
Euripides was awarded an inaugural Pina Bausch Fellowship in 2016, spending three months alongside director/ choreographer Lemi Ponifasio, observing him at work in Paris, St. Pölten, Amsterdam, Auckland, Ruatoki, Santiago, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). In 2017, he was included in the German "tanz" magazine's Hoffnungsträger (Promising Talents) list and was briefly named an associate artist at O Espaço Do Tempo – Associação Cultural in Portugal. In 2022, Euripides received an Onassis AiR Fellowship, which provided essential support for his forthcoming project's research and granted him a much-anticipated opportunity to travel to Japan for inspiration.
During the pandemic, Euripides and the OSMOSIS team navigated challenges and continued presenting their three stage works, RELIC, TITANS, and ELENIT, internationally. Up to 2023, the three productions had been touring consecutively for eight, six, and four years, respectively.
As Euripides continues his artistic journey and expands his research, more projects and tours are on the horizon. His latest stage work, LAPIS LAZULI, which premiered on April 4th, 2024, at Onassis Stegi in Athens, has been touring at renowned venues worldwide. Euripides continues to explore the evolving landscape of contemporary art, seeking innovative forms that merge performance and visual expression, fueled by curiosity about life's significant and subtle moments.