ART CITIES:Athens-Angelos Skourtis
The multifaced artist Angelos Skourtis in his new work that is on presentation in his solo exhibition “Pictures at an Exhibition” refers at Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky’s, homonymous most famous piano composition. The music depicts Mussorgsky’s tour in the memorial exhibition of the artist, architect, and designer Viktor Hartmann (Feb-March 1874), with each of the ten numbers of the suite serving as a musical illustration of an individual work by Hartmann.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Archive
Continuing Angelos Skourtis’ concerns in the relationship “Artwork – Time – Place -Viewer”, the exhibition is an evolution of the artist’s which began in 1983. Using simple means of expression (water, oil, cloth, coffe grounds, color, etc.) but also primitive shapes (circle, triangle, cross, a horizontal or vertical line), he enlarges the space, giving it a dominant importance. Also Angelos Skourtis for the exhibition collaborated with musicians, who during the exhibition they will present their own version of “Pictures at an Exhibition” through musical and visual performances. Angelos Skourtis was born in Patras in 1949. At first he studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy (1973-8), and completed his studies with courses of mass media under the author and theorist, Pio Baldelli. He presented his first solo show in Athens in 1980 at Nefeli Gallery). The skills provided by his European artistic education and his familiarity with the international Avant-Garde Movements led him to an initial experimentation with minimalism. Early on, since the ‘80s he presented spatial interventions-actions, through installations and performance (Desmos gallery, 1983). Later, he employed a black and white palette and a simplicity of forms combined with a symbolic language, introducing in his work three-dimensional constructions, without abandoning plastic values. He uses mixed media and various materials as space expansion tools (such as water, oil, cloth, coffee sediment, paint, etc.), since space itself is often a dominant element of performative function in his oeuvre. Especially after the ‘90s, he has been particularly interested in exploring the role of communication to the development of European culture to date. He has presented many solo shows, mainly in Greece, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Italy and other European countries.
Info: Ekfrasi-Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery, 9a Valaoritou Street, Athens, Duration: 18/12/18-19/1/19, Days & Hours: Tue & Thu-Fri 11:00-20:00, Wed 11:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-15:00, www.ekfrasi-art.gr
