ATHENS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A recently opened exhibition of 18 paintings by Greek artist Vassilis Perros takes visitors to a gallery in central Athens on a journey from darkness and depression to hope and bright light.

Inspired by his observations in his students' homes during the online courses he delivered over the past COVID-19 lockdown-ridden two years, his works express loneliness, fear and optimism, and the quest for an exit from the crisis.

The exhibition, which opened on Feb. 17 and runs until March 12 at Skoufa Gallery, is entitled "Domo" after the Latin word for home, Perros told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Perros, who is also a teacher at a primary school, had started exploring the concept of home just before the outbreak of the pandemic. COVID-19 has radically changed people's lives and had a major impact on Perros' style.

"I am one of those artists who are influenced by the social environment and by what is happening around us. E-learning acted as a catalyst, a stimulus for my work," he explained.

Initially, Perros painted people perching on their sofas and glued to their screens, struggling with negative emotions, caged inside dark rooms. As the number of coronavirus infections dropped and the world was gradually returning to normality, smiling figures, children with books in their hands and rays of sunlight also appeared in his paintings.

The central piece of the exhibition is titled "Exit", featuring a group of individuals inside apartments. In the apartments on lower floors, dark colors and images of isolation and confinement prevail. Lighter tones take over on higher floors and in the attic, there is an "Exit" sign illuminated by sunlight.

"This work has a heavily depressive atmosphere, but it is deeply optimistic at its core. The message is, 'here we go, we are exiting'. The exhibition invites visitors to find the way out of whatever traps them in," Perros said.

Art has suffered during the pandemic, but found the way to light again, he said. He and his fellow artists have had more time to create and are now presenting their works. "Art is not restricted by crises. Art has no limitations. It's like water. It will find a way to spill out of the palm. All is well," the artist said.

Perros believes in the power of art to transcend borders and move people beyond the limitations of languages. "Since our stimuli are the same, our art is addressed to a global audience. I believe that a Chinese person would be as excited by what he sees here as a Greek would, even if this is an apartment building in Athens. There are bridges, art unites, it does not divide, it is universal," he stressed.

Perros' students were by his side during the opening of the exhibition.

"We were all glued to electronic devices (during the lockdowns) and perhaps that is why I noticed many electronic devices in the works. As for me, I painted mostly girls I would watch on the computer's screen," said Maria Vassiliki, one of Perros' students. Enditem

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