Peter Triantos: Show Me Love. Show Me Joy. Show Me Beauty
Contemporary abstract artist Peter Triantos believes art should be passionate, vibrant and joyful. And the whole world agrees. Although he’s based in Toronto, you’ll find his high-end fine art in residential and corporate spaces in private collections, model suites and major lobbies across North America, Europe and Asia.
Who knows what might have happened if Peter Triantos had never met his muse. One thing is for sure: the world might never have had the pleasure of laying eyes on some of Triantos’s most magnificent pieces. “For me, Seraphina, my wife, played a very important role in the blossoming of my art — she sparks everything,” he says. “Of course, I was an artist before that time, but it plays a big role when you have somebody who absolutely backs you.” Actually, he says, his work exploded because of her.
Seraphina may light the fire, but it’s Triantos’s sense of wonder and his passion for, well, life, really, that fuels his art. Take, for example, his Jelly Bean series, a visual delight of colour, positive energy and pure joy. Or his Napa Valley series, which captures the essence of nature on canvas. “The paintings took me there on a journey,” he says, speaking of this special place for him.
In fact, it’s all part of the journey for Triantos, whose art has taken him literally around the world, from the United States and Europe to Korea and New Zealand. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, solo shows in Greece and London were postponed this past year. But Triantos isn’t the kind of guy to sit still and worry about that. He’s already looking ahead to a group show that’s being planned in Dubai. “You know what? You cannot really plan, he says. “There has to be room for error. If you knew everything, how could there be room for creativity?” he asks.
As for this past year, not only has Triantos survived, but he has also thrived. He has continued to expand, opening up new galleries in Toronto, including one that will be throwing open its doors in Yorkville. “We’ve got a 3,000-square-foot gallery; it’s a huge space. And we just opened a 6,000-square-foot gallery at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre. We’ve received so many compliments from so many art lovers who have visited our new Yorkdale location,” he says. “That is going to be a tremendous launch that was six months in the making, trying to sign all the leases.” And as soon as the lockdown was lifted, Tate McRae filmed her new music video, “Bad Ones,” at Triantos’s Brandon studio. Triantos enjoyed sharing his studio with a fellow artist for the day: “She is the most wonderful and beautiful person inside and out.”
That’s pretty awesome, especially in these troubled times, but perhaps it’s because of his philosophy, or maybe it’s just what people need right now: his unbridled enthusiasm for his work, and the people who want a piece of it. While it’s true that social media plays a big role in promotion, there is a whole world outside of social media, he adds. And, for Triantos, the real joy comes in the tangible world, the actual delivering and installing of a painting. “We are also accepting crypto currency for the art. This time, we won’t need to travel to the new world. It’s coming to us. So, what we’re looking to do in 2021 is to make sure that our clients are thrilled, make sure that our clients are absolutely happy,” he says. “The last thing I want is a negative connotation to go with [the art]; it has to be full of joy.”
Triantos considers himself a humanitarian, and philanthropy is part of his mission in life, so he donates works of art to many charities asking for donations. “That’s one of the roles that the artist should play once they have a voice,” he says, “to make sure that you use it properly. Do not use it to exploit; use it to help humanity.”
“Love Is Probably The Most Important Word. Love Brings Us Into This Life [and] Love Should Take Us Out”
The reason he donates to so many causes is simple: he believes the causes are good, and many charities, such as the Children’s Aid Foundation, Canadian Aids Foundation, SickKids Foundation, Mount Sinai Hospital, Camp Ooch and Camp Trillium for kids and families affected by childhood cancer, and the Rainmaker Enterprise, an organization dedicated to creating solar-powered water infrastructure in South Sudan, have been on the receiving end of Triantos’s donations. “I believe everybody has a responsibility to one another,” he says. “We’re all brothers, we’re all sisters — we’re one. When we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves. When we hurt the planet, we hurt ourselves.”
Triantos has a message for a younger generation: believe in yourself to build a strong foundation. “I think that the fact is this: you control your destiny in many ways,” he says. “And if you have a strong core and believe in yourself, only great things will happen.” As it happens, he has an even bigger message for all of us: live in the moment. “I’ll tell you one thing: only you can make those changes,” he stresses. If you’re not spending enough time with your family, and the direction you’re heading is only going to keep you less and less in touch, then make those changes, he urges.
The final word? That’s easy for Triantos. Always, it starts and ends with love for him. “Love is probably the most important word. Love brings us into this life [and] love should take us out,” he says. “I don’t want to be making art that has any kind of connotation other than love. I want to be spreading the word.”
