Yanacopulus
BIOGRAPHY
Augusto Yanacopulos, of Greek descent, was born in Santiago, Chile. He has dedicated himself to the arts from a very young age. In his native Santiago, he attended the School of Fine Arts, where he studied drawing and painting. Upon his arrival in Chicago, he became affiliated with the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, where he continued to hone his skills.
For over ten years, Augusto was a member of the Massi Ballet of Chicago, serving as both a student and a performer of classical ballet. He is an actor, set designer, lighting designer, and visual artist with an extensive career spanning both theater and the visual arts.
His artistic perspective is defined by a multidisciplinary approach, always characterized by curiosity and a constant quest for transparency in art.
Furthermore, he is the co-founder, alongside Rosario Vargas, of Aguijón Theater of Chicago. Augusto is a vital asset and a fundamental pillar of this company.
His designs, scenic painting, and set construction work are a true gem for Aguijón Theater. Among his many set designs, the following stand out for having garnered acclaim from both critics and audiences: The House of Bernarda Alba and Yerma by Federico García Lorca; The Passion of Antígona Pérez by Luis Rafael Sánchez; La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa; Within by Abel González Melo; Kyiv by Sergio Blanco; and The Great Tyrant: Dramatic Descarga by Rey Andújar.
For the latter production, Augusto received the 2023 Jeff Award (Non-Equity) for Artistic Specialization and was nominated for a 2023 Jeff Award for Best Lighting Design for Silk Ribbons by Norge Espinosa.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
My paintings explore the 'surreal'—the hidden layers of psychological truth that reside just beneath the surface of everyday life. My work seeks to document the recurring theme of mythology, which defines our internal experiences. By weaving these ancient archetypes into contemporary scenes, I aim to reveal a reality that is more felt than seen.
In this space, time and form become fluid. Characters and landscapes undergo a subtle metamorphosis, mirroring the way our own memories and identities shift over time. By placing mythic symbols in modern environments, I challenge the boundaries between the past and the present, suggesting that our deepest human struggles—love, loss, and transformation—remain unchanged across epochs.
Using oil on canvas, I peel back the veneer of the ordinary to make the invisible undercurrents of the mind tangible. Ultimately, my work is an invitation to look past the literal and recognize the timeless myths that continue to shape our modern subconscious.
Augusto Yanacopulos
Artistic Formation
From my beginnings, I have been drawn to pictorial art, especially after discovering Renaissance techniques. Over time, I developed a deep connection with Surrealism, which became my preferred style and the central axis of my artistic evolution.
My practice is rooted in the deliberate subversion of classical representation, a methodology I forged through a dual education. I developed my technical mastery as a self-taught artist, in conjunction with formal instruction at the School of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile, the American Academy of Art, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
While analyzing the permanent collection of the latter institution, I dedicated long hours to replicating the old masters, discovering how traditional tools could be used to make the impossible plausible. My contemporary work links this rigorous personal experimentation with the formal academic frameworks of the subconscious.
By investigating the history of manifestation in art and translating complex psychoanalytic concepts into physical forms, I use the canvas to map the inner landscape. The final paintings fuse the precision of classical oil with modern psychological theory, grounding weightless anomalies and dreamlike states within structured, illusionistic environments that feel undeniably real.
Influences or Artistic Approach:
My artistic approach is driven by an analytical inquiry into the tension between weight and weightlessness, exploring the psychological thresholds of human consciousness. Rather than relying purely on random juxtaposition, my method is highly calculated: I treat the canvas as a laboratory where the laws of physics are systematically dismantled.
I draw strong conceptual and stylistic influence from the meticulous illusionism of the Symbolists and Surrealists. Technically, my execution relies on a meticulous synthesis of historical methods and surrealist experimentation.
I employ trompe l'oeil glazing and high-contrast chiaroscuro to grant my recurring motif—floating human forms—an undeniable physical presence and deceptive structural weight. By juxtaposing these highly rendered, levitating figures against vast, desolate negative space and distorted linear perspectives, the compositions defy gravitational laws and disrupt traditional spatial expectations, forcing the viewer to navigate shifting, conceptually impossible planes of depth.
