TRACES: Takis
Today is the occasion to bear in mind Takis (25/10/1925-8/8/2019 ), among the leading kinetic artists, Takis (Panagiotis Vassilakis) has created a pioneering body of sculptures, performances, and sound pieces focused on electromagnetism, a force with which he has been fascinated since the beginning of his career. On the occasion of his death we publish again an earlier interview of the great artist of the generation of ’60s, who lived many years in Paris. This column is a tribute to artists, living or dead, who have left their mark in Contemporary Art. Through documents or interviews, starting with: moments and memories, we reveal out from the past-unknown sides of big personalities, who left their indelible traces in time and history…
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Palais de Tokyo Archive
You are citizen of the world!
It is well known, when I exhibited in the Venice I covered the Greek Pavilion with a cloth and I wrote, “Art is a citizen of the world”. I do not accept that the artist comes from a country, the country that he was born, his talent is scattered in all parts of the world.
Has the art limits?
Neither borders, and life is really so. The artist goes where is interesting.
How did started your relationship with art?
I had great curiosity, aged 4-5 years I had heard that someone could find ancient treasures and objects, you know as children are looking for treasures, I wanted to make myself my own. That era we had bottles of quinine for malaria, so I took these bottles I put oil and soap inside them, thinking that when I bury them, they will be transformed into something else. My entire work is an investigation. I continue to work with this spirit so far, because all my work is based on the observation
How begins adventure called art?
My life has changed since I left Greece.
For Paris?
No. Seventeen years old, I worked in a basement, with Minos Argyrakis and Panos Raimondos the known woodcarver. I wanted to leave, I am not conventional, I come from a revolutionary family, and afterwards I jailed, for political reasons, I almost was killed… When I was twenty-one years old, I had not troubles with prison, I was in that basement, I was working and after many adventures… I went to the School of Fine Arts and all of that.
Do you wanted?
I could not compromise with the social situation, still I cannot. I cannot change. When I have to deal with someone who does not tell me anything, I am saying that in person.
In Paris, you went in 1954.
I was twenty-eight years old
What was that time the situation in art?
Hard times, I do not know from where to start. I could not settle, for that, I experienced harsh adventures.
Tell us something that changed you and made you hardy.
(…) The contempt. I was very impressive young man. You saw and you wondered ‘’who is he’’, wherever I was, in Paris, in London, I had an appearance which created tremendous jealousy to male. The truth is that I was taking their chicks. If I did not digested someone I was saying “I’ll get her” and I was saying that in person I went to the table and I was said, you are very nice, I have to make your portrait. These classic … and the other was isolated. (Laughs)… I was ruthless, I was looking for it. Do you understand?
Were you ruthless also in art? Were you flirting art to death?
My ideas were very weird, I survived because I did dangerous things. When you are young and have a great reputation…
You had a charm that attracted everyone… even Alexandros Iolas. When and how did you met him?
In London, a friend of mine knew him and told me that this man was for me. He was like me. That era I was I had no money, I was eating one day, the other not, I was surviving, I was presented with jeans and sandals and he told me: “In London you will have problems with rheumatism, what do you want with sandals?” Then he interested in what I was doing, although his talent was surrealism. I had intrigued him as person, the way I was seeing things and my attitude to life had nothing conventional.
How many years you stayed in Paris? You had a studio.
Many adventures, I worked at least in 200 different places. For me, my studio is everywhere! A smithy for example. I went to Venice, I was going to a blacksmith and I was saying I am an artist; I want to stick this and that. Can I do it? I am very likeable to the blacksmiths. In all parts of the world, they have that gypsy thing, they are open people. In Paris, I was going to a blacksmith’s, the same in London or New York. I do not like to work alone.
Do you like the collaboration?
Not exactly, but I cannot work alone, I want company, I cannot even eat alone. When I am, alone I am not hungry.
What is art for you?
It is when you see something, an object, which takes you away from the everyday life. Is Theatre, Music that takes you to other worlds, optical, takes you from conventionality. The painter does work the first impressions that had as a child, as the scientist. He knows that if he wants to do something that is universal, what moves me is the voyeurism that I did when I was a child, this is subjective, if I want to do something, I will do a work that touches everyone. Moreover, those signals that have been put in the Metro and you see them, they take out something in you, from yourself, because they lead you to another world. In the world, you know!
It was important that we got all these artworks in the Metro, at a city like Athens, which has not public art.
It was a right move and I can tell you that I admire this, in this country that nothing happens, something happened.
I was thinking yesterday, let us forget that I am an art expert and I have seen a lot of art, but your specific project, causes euphoria.
Humor and joy!
I was thinking how nice it is to cross the morning when you go to work and in the evening returning tired from the problems and the worries and live for a little the pleasure of art, these seconds … it is magical.
I believe it, when I visit a good exhibition enlivens me, I’m not subjective, in my real life. This decision is very good for educational purposes, because art in everyday life comes with a simple and natural way. Although you have proven, with your items and jewelry that art is part of everyday life. You are the first Greek artist who did it, because there are artists of your generation, and younger, who are against this practice, they consider themselves as very serious and should not do objects.
I execrate the serious people.
Me too, also the consequential people. They are incredibly boring!!!
Charlie Chaplin said: “If you spend a day without laughing, you would be near to death”. If you are serious, you will grow older. To give you a key that you probably do not have thought, tell me who actor had not something funny on him? Charles Aznavour, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Édith Piaf even Madonna are most alive in the cinema, in the theater, actors like figures have something comical.
Does the visual artists have this characteristic?
After the Renaissance, Picasso, his face and his style.
Did you know him?
No, he hated Greeks, because someone took his woman. Once the Greeks were known as Lovers (Laughs).
However, you met Salvador Dali.
Of course, he was super comedian!!!
Who was fascinated the most? Dali by Takis or vice versa?
I do not know, however, it was an episodic meeting. I met him 1968 in New York. I entered in the Museum of Modern Art and took my artwork, because I did not agreed with the title of the exhibition. There was a great ballyhoo by the New York Times, because this gesture shocked the conventional society.
What was the title of the withdrawn artwork and why?
It was one of my sculptures, in the exhibition “The machine as seen at the end of the mechanical age”. I have no relation with the machine, I have the magnetic fields that are invisible, and machine is something that has friction. I had seven bodyguards with mew, one was very good, I entered in the museum and took it. Then Dali called me, I was in Chelsea Hotel, his manager phoned to me and said: “Maître would love to meet you and sends your congratulations on the act you did”. I said to Nicolas Calas , who was a great critic, I will go to meet Dali, he tells me: “Be careful, go because he is funny, but do nothing with him, because he is regal and he will spoil the movement” (Art Workers’ Coalition). I went, I had with me one German chick very beautiful…
Did you met him at his Hotel?
Yes, this was not a meeting, it was an unbelievable event, “The act you did” he told me “In Madison Avenue, tey had placed my artwork in a shop window made advertising for bathtubs, I run like a bull, Ι smashed the showcase with my head and I took it” I asked “What happened next?” “Nothing, I slept a night in jail and the next day they took me out. Bravo. The rights of the artist must be supported. I will make you a dedication. Come tomorrow to talk”, I listened Nicolas Calas, there was also and the king of Spain.
You did not went.
I sent the German gill. I wanted to know about the hangout. She goes alone and Dali asked, “Where is Maître Takis?”, then started to flirt with her, he went to heaven because in the Hotel’s lobby were many photographers, he had complex, because he was too short. After that he called me again, he wanted to make a magnetic work, we met again in Paris, Ι was meeting him when there was an occasion. He was very friendly and he had much humor.
I think you too have a special sense humor.
It is a little bit sarcastic!
What is the artwork you want to create and you have not done it yet?
A vision!!! To press a button in my room and presented before me, a woman with nice breasts. A vision, which will be transfigure in various women.
© Interview – Efi Michalarou
