schmidtFilm accompanies Aris Kalaizis, Leipzig painter with Greek roots, for a portrait for MDR and the ARD Mediathek.

We take a look inside the studio and not only present an extraordinary work, but also travel with Kalaizis to Greece and tell the dramatic story of his parents’ escape, who ended up in the GDR as children. How did this history shape the painter, who often felt alienated in the GDR? What influenced his style, for which the New York art historian Carol Strickland coined the term Sotorealism? What makes Kalaizi’s paintings so unmistakable? We meet Carol Strickland in New York and see Kalaizi’s paintings in exhibitions in Berlin and Thalheim bei Wels. Why does Christian Berkel take part in Kalaizis’ picture productions and what does Finance Minister Christian Lindner have to do with Kalaizis’ art?