the journey
SELECTED NOTES, EXHIBITIONS, MYTHOLOGY, WORKS IN PROGRESS, AND MILESTONES.
2026 | THE ART OF MIDDLE-EARTH
The opening of The Art of Middle-Earth marks the beginning of a new chapter in the artistic journey of Spiros Gelekas - a permanent exhibition space dedicated to mythology-inspired contemporary painting in Corfu, Greece.
Conceived as an immersive environment rather than a conventional gallery, the space brings together original works exploring atmosphere, memory, epic literature, and the visual language of myth.
Centered around the world of J.R.R. Tolkien while remaining deeply connected to broader mythological traditions, the gallery reflects an evolving artistic vision shaped over a decade of international exhibitions, collaborations, and independent creative work.
Operating by private appointment, the gallery offers visitors and collectors an intimate experience focused on silence, storytelling, and the emotional presence of painting.
2020 – PRESENT | DOMES MIRAMARE CORFU
As part of the ongoing collaboration between Loudos Contemporary and Domes Miramare, I have served as curator and gallery manager since 2020, overseeing the presentation of contemporary art within one of Greece’s leading luxury hospitality destinations.
Alongside the curatorial direction of the space, selected personal works have been exhibited throughout the years, including portrait-driven pieces inspired by cultural figures such as Salvador Dalí and Maria Callas, created specifically to resonate with the broader dialogue of the collective exhibitions.
Blending contemporary fine art, atmosphere, and cultural storytelling, the Domes Miramare exhibitions gradually evolved into a meeting point between international visitors, collectors, and modern myth-inspired artistic expression.
2024 | TOLKIEN GATEWAY
In 2024, my work was officially featured in Tolkien Gateway, one of the world’s most respected and comprehensive online encyclopedias dedicated to the works and legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien.
The dedicated entry documents key moments of my artistic journey, including international exhibitions, official Tolkien collaborations, and the evolution of my mythology-inspired visual language.
The inclusion marked another important milestone in the growing international recognition of my work within the global Tolkien community, placing my paintings among contemporary artists contributing to the visual legacy of Middle-Earth.
By 2024, my work had been officially archived across multiple major Tolkien-related academic and collector platforms, reinforcing an ongoing connection between my artistic vision and the evolving visual culture surrounding the Legendarium.
2024 | BEYOND BREE: THE COLLECTOR’S CALENDAR 2025
Spiros Gelekas was selected as the featured cover artist for the official Beyond Bree 2025 Calendar,
published by the Tolkien Collector’s Guide.
His painting The Entmoot was chosen to represent the visual identity of the collector’s edition,
placing his work alongside internationally renowned Tolkien artists and illustrators.
Widely respected within the global Tolkien collector community, the annual calendar is considered
a landmark publication for enthusiasts, scholars, and collectors of Middle-earth inspired art.
The collaboration further strengthened Gelekas’ growing presence within the international
Tolkien art scene, bridging contemporary myth-inspired painting with one of the most dedicated
collector communities worldwide.
2024 | THE ONE WIKI TO RULE THEM ALL
One of my Middle-Earth paintings was featured by The One Wiki to Rule Them All, one of the largest Tolkien fan communities online.
The feature introduced my work to a broader international audience of readers, collectors, and long-time followers of Tolkien-inspired art, continuing an ongoing connection with the global fantasy community through independent painting and visual storytelling.
2023 | MALLORN JOURNAL - THE TOLKIEN SOCIETY
In 2023, my work was selected for the cover of Mallorn, the official journal of The Tolkien Society.
“The Sacred Path of Mirkwood” was featured as the cover artwork, while additional paintings appeared throughout the publication alongside scholarly essays dedicated to Tolkien’s world and mythology.
Being included in one of the most respected Tolkien publications internationally marked an important moment in the continuing connection between my visual work and the academic world surrounding Middle-Earth.
2023 | OXONMOOT - 50 YEARS OF TOLKIEN’S LEGACY
In 2023, I participated in Oxonmoot at St Anne’s College, Oxford, during the international celebrations leading toward the 50th anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien’s passing.
Organized by The Tolkien Society, the gathering brought together artists, scholars, and readers from around the world through lectures, exhibitions, discussions, and events dedicated to Tolkien’s literary and cultural legacy.
Presenting my work in Oxford - a place inseparably connected with Tolkien’s life and academic world - marked an especially meaningful moment in my artistic journey and strengthened my ongoing connection with the international Tolkien community.
The event reflected the continuing influence of Tolkien’s mythology across literature, scholarship, and contemporary visual art, bringing together creators inspired by Middle-Earth from across the world.
2022 | THE OFFICIAL TOLKIEN CALENDAR 2023
In 2022, my work was officially selected for The Tolkien Calendar 2023, published by HarperCollins, alongside a small group of internationally recognized Tolkien artists.
The collection featured two original paintings inspired by Tolkien’s world, presented together with works by some of the most established contemporary illustrators of Middle-Earth.
A special introduction written by legendary Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith described my work as a “mystical interface between the everyday world and dream realms,” recognizing the surreal and atmospheric direction that defines my visual approach to the Legendarium.
Being included in the official Tolkien calendar marked a major international milestone and connected my work directly with one of the most iconic annual publications dedicated to Tolkien art and collectors worldwide.
2021 | KEDROS PUBLISHERS -
THE GREEK REVELATION
In 2021, I was commissioned by Kedros Publishers to create the cover artwork for the book Influences of Ancient Greek Literature on the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien, a landmark publication exploring the relationship between Tolkien’s mythology and the classical Greek world.
The project brought together internationally respected Tolkien scholars, including Dimitra Fimi and Dimitris Kolovos, creating a bridge between academic research, literature, and contemporary visual art.
The official presentation took place at the historic Municipal Theatre of Corfu, transforming my hometown into a meeting point between Middle-Earth, mythology, and classical cultural heritage.
The collaboration marked an important milestone in my ongoing artistic dialogue between Tolkien’s Legendarium and the deeper roots of ancient epic tradition, philosophy, and mythological storytelling.
2019 | LONDON CALLING
(Pébéo Mixed Media Art Prize - London)
In 2019, The Sacred Path of Mirkwood was selected among the Top 100 finalist works of the international Pébéo Mixed Media Art Prize.
The painting was officially exhibited at the Menier Gallery in London, alongside contemporary artists from around the world, as part of the final exhibition dedicated to mixed media and imaginative visual storytelling.
Chosen by an international panel of artists and curators, the selection marked one of the earliest major international recognitions of Gelekas’ Tolkien-inspired work beyond Greece.
The exhibition became a defining milestone in the evolution of his artistic journey, establishing The Sacred Path of Mirkwood as one of the foundational paintings connected to his later Middle-Earth body of work and international Tolkien-related collaborations.
2019 | THE GREEK TOUR - MIDDLE-EARTH IN THE BALKANS
In 2019, I participated as an official guest artist at the 5th FantastiCon Festival in Athens, hosted at the Hellenic American Union, presenting a large collection of Middle-Earth inspired paintings to the Greek public for the first time.
The exhibition gradually evolved into a wider touring presence across Greece, including Thessaloniki, Larissa, and the Academic Hall of Thebes, where I was officially invited by the Municipality of Thebes.
Across all events, the exhibitions attracted more than 5,000 visitors, including Tolkien enthusiasts, collectors, and travelers arriving not only from across Greece, but also from neighboring Balkan countries and Turkey.
At the time, these presentations became some of the first large-scale Tolkien-inspired fine art exhibitions to take place in the Balkans, contributing to the growing visibility of mythology-inspired contemporary painting within the wider fantasy and literary community.
The tour marked an important turning point in my artistic journey, establishing a direct connection between Middle-Earth inspired visual art and a rapidly expanding international audience beyond online communities and traditional gallery spaces.
2018 | THE TRIUMVIRATE - SURREAL DIALOGUES
In 2018, I participated in a series of international exhibitions in China connected to the legacy of Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and the wider surrealist tradition.
Presented in Beijing and Jinxing City through collaborations involving MO2Art and the International Association of Artists (IAE), the exhibitions brought together artists from multiple countries within a contemporary dialogue centered around symbolism, dreams, mythology, atmosphere, and emotional expression.
Representing Greece within these international events marked one of my earliest major introductions to the Asian contemporary art scene and expanded the visibility of my work beyond the Tolkien and fantasy art community.
At the time, my Middle-Earth inspired paintings were gradually evolving toward a more symbolic and atmospheric visual language, making these exhibitions an important bridge between literary-inspired storytelling and broader surrealist fine art traditions.
Supported through collaborations with major cultural and development organizations (including Vanke) the exhibitions became an important milestone in the early international development of my artistic journey.
2018 | GLOBAL ART AWARDS
In 2018, my artwork Moonlit Shadow was officially nominated for the Global Art Awards in Dubai, bringing my work into an international contemporary art platform during the early years of my artistic journey.
Although primarily known at the time through independent exhibitions and mythology-inspired painting, the nomination marked one of the first moments my work appeared within a broader international contemporary art context beyond local and regional audiences.
The recognition became an encouraging milestone during a formative period of artistic development, reinforcing the growing international visibility of my atmospheric and symbolic visual language.
2016 | THE AWAKENING
In 2016, The Sacred Path of Mirkwood marked the beginning of a new artistic direction shaped by mythology, symbolism, atmosphere, and the literary world of J.R.R. Tolkien.
The painting was later selected for the National Bank of Greece’s 175th Anniversary Art Competition, standing among nearly 950 professional entries submitted from across the country.
At the time, Tolkien-inspired fine art remained relatively uncommon within institutional contemporary art contexts in Greece, making the selection an especially meaningful early recognition of this emerging visual path.
Looking back, the work became a foundational piece that would later define much of my artistic journey and international presence within the wider Tolkien art community.
