Peter Lyssiotis
Peter Lyssiotis is a photomonteur. In an era that is dominated increasingly by digital technologies, Lyssiotis continues to use a scalpel, scissors and glue to literally cut up and reconstruct visual language: “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword forgot the scissors.” (Peter Lyssiotis, ‘Outside of a Dog’, Overland, 133, 1993, p. 51)
With the use of found photographs from advertising brochures, magazines and art catalogues, Lyssiotis produces polemic and ironic images. The series Visbytes (1984) brings apparently incongruous imagery together (such as a mushroom cloud and a lounge room) to generate heavily loaded visual grabs – the visual versions of the sound byte. In Tall Tales but True (2000), Lyssiotis turns his attention to city architecture and issues of bad urban planning, alienation and the divide between the rich and poor. Codes and conventions for the representation of the city come undone in this series. “Photomontage is the pitbull of the arts, and it loves to sink its fangs into Evil.” (Peter Lyssiotis, ‘Tall Tales (But True)’, Transition, 61-62, 2000, pp. 122-129.)
Lyssiotis has also collaborated on film works including The Occupant with Michael Karis and Ettore Siracusa, the video Thug with Spiros Economopoulos Christos Tsiolkas, and The Ifs of Language with Michael Karas. He has published several small press books, and his limited edition artist’s books, including The Harmed Circle, … From the Secret Life of Status, The Products of Wealth, Feather and Prey, Desire and the Brush and The Ifs of Language have been acquired by private collectors, libraries and galleries across Australia.
