Drawing on trauma studies and theories of ethical spectatorship, he investigates how art can carry an invisible or latent horror without graphic content. In his exhibitions he priotitizes artworks that subtly evoke fear, vulnerability and disorientation – avoiding explicit sensationalism or “re-victimization” – and instead foregrounds mood and affect. He deliberately uses abstraction and minimal cues (darkness, temperature changes, reflective surfaces) to prompt the viewer’s subconscious dread. His projects often hinge on oppositions and thresholds.
A central goal for Chatzirafailidis is to engage the viewer as an active, embodied participant. He champions a post-representational, experiential exhibition model. The shows he curates generate affect through tension, ambivalence, and corporeal experience.