HELMETED ART — Galerie Vesper

Colourless
Oil on canvas

100 × 70 cm

Underneath
Acrylic on canvas

90 × 90 cm

Echoes of Silence
Oil on canvas

60 × 80 cm

UNDERNEATH

In this work, I wanted to push the idea of layers. Not just one mask, but multiple, a mask over a mask over another mask. The helmet is present on both figures, and beneath it there is another constructed face.

At that point, the question becomes unclear:
what is actually the “real” self?

Is it the face beneath the makeup?
The makeup itself?
The helmet?
Or something even further removed?

The mirror doesn’t resolve this, it complicates it. The two feel connected, but not identical. It’s uncertain which one is the original, or if that distinction even exists.

The hand is placed gently. It’s not confrontation, but recognition, something closer to longing. At the same time, there’s no response coming back, which leaves the moment unresolved, somewhere between something physical and something internal.

For me, the painting isn’t about answering these questions, but about holding them open. Like the rest of the series, I’m interested in creating a space where the viewer can have a kind of conversation with themselves through the painting, seeing something familiar, whether in themselves, someone they know, or a feeling they recognize.

COLOURLESS

The starting point for this painting was the idea of what happens when you rely on that “mask” for too long. It can begin as something protective, even necessary, but over time it becomes something you depend on. You get used to how it feels.

At some point, the line between what is real and what is constructed starts to blur.

I was interested in that moment, not as a reveal, but as a loss. When the facade is removed, there isn’t necessarily something clear underneath, but more of a sense of absence.

Colour carries the emotional weight of the piece, and here it sits mostly outside the body. At the same time, it starts to come back, suggesting that what feels lost isn’t gone, but still there, something that can be reclaimed.

Like the rest of the series, the image stays open. I’m interested in creating a space where the viewer can have a kind of conversation with themselves through the painting, seeing something familiar, whether in themselves, someone they know, or a feeling they recognize.

ECHOES OF SILENCE

Unlike other works in the series, this painting didn’t start from a clear idea. It started more from a feeling, a sense of distance and quiet detachment, and developed through space, light, and atmosphere.

The presence remains, but feels withdrawn. Separated from something that appears elevated, but out of reach. The space between them becomes central, holding a quiet tension without direct interaction.

Here, the helmet is still present, but the dynamic changes. Instead of confrontation or loss, the subject becomes more of an observer, somewhere between what is real, remembered, or imagined.

Like the rest of Behind the Mirror, the work stays open. I’m interested in creating a space where the viewer can have a kind of conversation with themselves through the painting, seeing something familiar, whether in themselves, someone they know, or a feeling they recognize.

About the Artist

Michalis Kitsis (HelmetedArt) is a Greek Cypriot painter based in Sweden. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His work moves between psychological, theatrical, and mythological territories, often explored through the recurring image of the vintage diving helmet in the ongoing series “Behind the Mirror” . Rather than depicting a specific individual, the figure becomes a symbolic presence through which inner states, tension, and transformation can be explored. Kitsis has exhibited in galleries and art events in Sweden, and his works are held in private collections internationally.

“Through the ongoing series “Behind the Mirror” , I explore psychological distance and the hidden parts of ourselves that remain unspoken. The helmeted figures carry their inner world with them, protected yet isolated. I am interested in the moment before something happens, the quiet pause where emotion gathers. Each painting becomes a stage where posture, gesture, colour, and atmosphere reveal what the face can no longer express. The recurring diving helmet functions as a symbolic apparatus rather than a literal mask. By removing the face, the figure becomes both anonymous and universal, allowing the inner state to surface. For me, the mask is not a disguise. It is honesty made visible. The use of colour shifts depending on the emotional register of each scene. At times restrained and muted, at other times saturated and intense, colour becomes part of the psychological space the figures inhabit. Drawing from mythology, psychology, and theatrical imagery, the work moves between introspection and narrative. Each scene invites the viewer into suspended moments where tension, vulnerability, and transformation quietly unfold.”

All artworks and images remain the property of their respective artists.
Images may not be shown to scale. Actual dimensions are indicated below each artwork.

Artwork has been curated by the art director and does not necessarily represent the artist’s intended layout.