Nikos Alexiou
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The End

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8.09 – 21.10.2017


Im Jahr 1995 kehrte Nikos Alexiou (*1960 Rethymnon / † 2011 Athen) erstmals in das Kloster Iviron auf dem Berg Athos ein. Er begab sich dorthin, um die Zeichnungen des Mönchs Vasily Grigorovich Barsky aus dem 18. Jahrhundert zu studieren. Als er dort ankam, war ihm noch nicht bewusst, dass er fünf Monate bleiben würde, und dass ihn das marmorne Bodenmosaik aus dem 11. Jahrhundert noch mehr als die Zeichnungen fesseln würde. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt setzte er sich akribisch mit dem byzantinischen Mosaik auseinander. Alexiou kehrte noch einmal im Jahr 2000 zurück auf den Berg Athos, um sich nun ausschließlich und intensiver mit dem Bodenmosaik auseinander zu setzen und um es in seinen Details zu studieren. Im Anschluss nutzte er alle ihm zur Verfügung stehenden künstlerischen Medien um neue Arbeiten zu schaffen. In einer täglichen, teilweise meditativen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Muster des Mosaiks, das prinzipiell nur den Mönchen zugänglich war, schuf Alexiou eine Vielzahl an Arbeiten, bei denen er sich der unterschiedlichsten Medien bediente. So zählten Papier, Bambus und Stahl zu den Werkstoffen des Künstlers, aus denen er so viel gewinnen konnte. Er übersetzte uns seine Erfahrungen, das was er dort oben erspürt hatte und rettete so ein Stück von dem was damals war in unsere heutige Zeit herüber. Zum Abschluss, ganz am Ende seiner Reise schuf er eine Videoprojektion, bestehend aus einer austauschbaren Matrix, die aus unterschiedlichen Farbkombinationen der Mosaikdetails zusammengesetzt wurde. Diese Fragmente befinden sich in einer beständigen Drehung und stellen variable Gruppierungen von Grundformen euklidischer Geometrie dar.
Auf der diesjährigen Documenta kann man die Videoprojektion gleich im Eingangsbereich des Fridericianum sehen. In der Galerie wird eine Videoanimation in Kombination mit den Digital Prints gezeigt. Das Zusammenspiel von Videoanimation und Printmedium erzeugt eine großartige Verdopplung der farblichen Vollendung. Eine Kunst, die an Byzanz knüpft und doch so ganz von heute ist.
Bereits vor 10 Jahren, im September 2007, war eine Videoinstallation von Nikos Alexiou in der Galerie Françoise Heitsch zu sehen, während auf der Biennale in Venedig im griechischen Pavillon das Gesamtwerk „The END“ gezeigt wurde. Zehn Jahre später, während „The END“ noch auf der Documenta in Kassel zu sehen ist, wo es als digitale Animation auf den Boden des Fridericianum projiziert wird, wird in München wieder ein Teil von "The END" zu sehen sein, bestehend aus Digital Prints und anderen Medien.


It was 1995 when Nikos Alexiou (1960, Rethymnon – 2011, Athens) first came to the monastery of Iviron, located on the peninsula of Mount Athos. His intention was to study the drawings of the monk Vasily Grigorovich Barsky from the 18th century. Yet, little did he know at this point that he was going to stay for five months and that, in fact, it was the marble floor mosaic from the 11th century, instead of the drawings he initially came to visit for, which became the most captivating feature of the monastery. From this moment onwards, he meticulously studied the Byzantine mosaic. Alexiou returned to Mount Athos to intensively study the floor mosaic in great detail once again in the year 2000. Subsequently, he made use of all available artistic media in order to create new work. By establishing a daily routine, he embarked on a partially meditative involvement with the mosaic’s pattern, which was originally only accessible to the monks. Alexiou thus created a multitude of works employing highly diverse media. Amongst these materials from which he could extract so much are paper, fabric, bamboo, and steel. He translated his experiences for us, his feelings and emotions on Mount Athos, and thus preserved a part of the past by taking it into the present age. At last, at the end of his very own journey, he created a video projection, consisting of a changeable matrix, which was composed of the most diverse colour combinations of the mosaic’s details. These fragments rotate consistently and display the variable groupings of Euclidean geometry’s basic forms.
This year’s Documenta displays the video projection in the entrance area of the Fridericianum. Galerie Françoise Heitsch will present a video animation in combination with digital prints. The interplay between video animation and print medium creates a great doubling of the works’ overall colour completion. Hence, art that is linked to Byzantium, yet utterly modern.
Already 10 years ago, in September 2007, did Galerie Françoise Heitsch exhibit Nikos Alexiou’s video installation. At around the same time, the complete works of “The END” could be seen at the Greek pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Now, 10 years later, while “The END” can still be visited at the Documenta in Kassel, where it is projected as a digital animation onto the floor of the Fridericianum, the gallery here in Munich will again show another part of “The END,” comprising of digital prints and other media.

Nikos Alexiou ( → Artist Website)
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Biography

1960 geboren in Rethymnon auf Kreta
1982Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien
1984School of Fine Arts, Athen
2011gestorben in Athen

Solo Exhibitions

2021"r e v a l u e", II part Nikos Alexiou
2019"A Version" / Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens / cur. Christophoros Marinos, GR
2017"THE END" / Françoise Heitsch, München
2010/11"outline" / Françoise Heitsch, München
2010"The sense of order" / curated by Paolo Emilio Antognoli Viti, Margini arte contemporanea, Massa
"San Marco di Venezia 2010" / Zoumboulaki Gallery, Athen
2007"The End" / curated by Yorgos Tzirtzilakis, Byzantinisches Museum, Thessaloniki
"The End" / Zoumboulaki Gallery, Athen
"The End" / Françoise Heitsch, München
"The End 1995-2007" / 52. Biennale in Venedig, griechischer Pavillon, curated by Y. Tzirzilakis, Venedig
2004Unlimited Contemporary Art, Athen
365 Art Project, Athen
2003Lola Nikolaou Gallery, Thessaloniki
Rebecca Camhi Gallery, Athen
2002Gallery 3, Athen
2001Exervnitis, Athen
2000Alecton, Athen
Lola Nikolaou Gallery, Thessaloniki
1999Gallery 3, Athen
Tzamia Cristalla, Chania, Kreta
Gallery 3, Athen
1998Athens Art Gallery, Athen
1995Athens Art Gallery, Athen
1994Gallery 3, Athen
1992Athens Art Gallery, Athen
1989Gallery 3, Athen
1988ZM, Thessaloniki
1987Gallery 3, Athen
1985Desmos Art Gallery, Athen
1983Innsbrucker Werkstatt, Innsbruck

Group Exhibitions

2021"Portals" / Former Public Tobacco Factory, organized by NEON, Athens, GR
2020"Collectanea. The measure of all things" / The American College of Greece, Athens / cur. Christophoros Marinos, GR
2018"At the Beginning Was the Word. Concepts - Images - Script, National Art Museum of China (NAMOC)" / Curated by Katerina Koskina (EMST Director), Co-curated by Anna Mykoniati (EMST Curator), GR
2017"Antidoron" / Documenta 14 / Fridericianum, Kassel, DE
2009/10"Expanded Ecologies" / curated by Daphne Vitali, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, GR
"Celestial Contrakt" / curated by Christina Mitrentse und Jonas Ranson, Schwartz Gallery, London, EN
2009"Expanded Ecologies" / curated by Daphne Vitali, emst, Athens, GR
2008/09"And now? Visual Arts in Greece" / State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, GR
2008"HEDIYE" / Françoise Heitsch, München
"Games without Frontiers" / curated by T. Stathopoulos, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens, GR
2007"Recreation – Maid in Greece" / curated by T. Stefanidou, Greek Visual Artists, Parallelprogramm zur 1. Biennale of Contemporary Art Thessaloniki, GR
"Disco Coppertone" / curated by Maria Thalia Karas & Sofia Tournikiotis, Locus Athens, OLP Piraeus, GR

"The workshop" / curated by Maria Thalia Karas & Sofia Tournikiotis, Locus Athens, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens, GR
2006"Architectural Transparencies" / ILEANA TOUNTA, Athens, GR
"arthistory.com" / KALFAYAN GALLERIES, Athens, GR
"The Scarecrow" / curated by Ο. Danyilopoulou, Institution E. Averof, Metsovo

 "Apolis" / Hellenic- American Union, Athens, GR
"Totems of the City" / curated by T. Moutsopoulos, U-Bahn-Station, Chalandri, GR
22. Winter Festival Sarajevo / curated by C. Petrinou, Hotel Evropa, Sarajevo
23. Biennale of Alexandria / curated by C. Petrinou, Benaki Museum, Athens, GR
"The Scarecrow" / Institution E. Averof, Metsovo, GR
"An Outing" / curated by S. Bahtsetzis, L. Beltsios Collection, Trikala, GR
200523. Biennale of Alexandria / curated by C. Petrinou, Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria, Ägypten
"A table" / Skoufa Art Gallery, Athens, GR
"Mysteries and Miracles" / Photosynkyria, Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki
"Get some fresh art" / Astrolavos Art Gallery, Athen
"Drawings" / Parnassos Literary Society, Athen
2004365 Project Space / Athen
"Athens by Art" / curated by C. Petrinou, Athen
"ausderferne ausdernähe ausdermitte" / Europäisches Patentamt München & Françoise Heitsch, München
"Light Between" / Municipal Art Centre, Volos & Diana Gallery, Athen
"Breakthrough!" / curated by K. Gregos, Sala Alcala 31, D. Zacharopoulos, S. Papa, Madrid
2003Outlook International Exhibition / curated by Christos Joachimides, Athen
Deste Prize 2003 / Deste Foundation, Athen
"The Pioneers" / curated by D. Zacharopoulos, Beltsios Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki
"Sketching out today, tomorrow and yesterday" / young greek artists, Macedonian
"Outlook" / curated by C. Joachimides, Athen
"Free Transit(!)" / curated by N. Argyropoulou, Zappeio, Athens & Porto Caras, Halkidiki, Griechenland
"Sketching Out Today, Tommorow, Yesterday" / curated by L. Tsikouta, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki
"Outlook, Factory" / School of Fine Arts, Athen
2002"Sketching out Today. Tomorrow and Yesterday" / Averoff Art Gallery, Metsovo, Griechenland
2001Glossalgia Frissiras Museum, Athen
"Art Paris" / Athens Art Gallery, Paris
2000"P + P = D" / curated by Y. Tzirtzilakis, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki
1999"P + P = D" / curated by Y. Tzirtzilakis, Deste Foundation, Athen
1998"Greek Artists – Quests 1950-2000" / curated by M. Marangou, Centre for Contemporary Art, Rethymnon, Kreta
1995"Alexiou-Varotsos-Totsikas-Tsoklis" / Mayia Tsoklis Gallery, Athen, GR
1994International Meeting of Sculpture / Europäisches Kulturzentrum von Delphi, Delphi, GR
1992"Spiral 1/12 Greeks" / Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, ES
1990"Borderline 80-90" / Municipal Art Gallery, Athen, GR

"Itérations" / Fondation Danae, Pouilly, France, FR

"2nd Minos Beach Art Symposium" / Minos Beach, Agios Nicolaos, Kreta, GR
1988"5 Greek Artists - 30 Works" / curated by N. Misirli
, Salle de Conferance de la Communaute Europeenne, Brussels, & Laiterie Centrale, Strasbourg, FR
"Meetings, Highlights, Conflicts" / curated by K.Stavropoulos, Municipal Gallery, Athen, GR
1987"Jeune Sculpture 87/1" / Porte d´Austerlitz, Paris
3. Biennale of Young Mediterranean Artists / Casa de la Caritat, Barcelona
19862. Biennale of Young Mediterranean Artists / TIF, Thessaloniki, GR
19855. Biennale of Sculpture / Skironio Museum Polychronopoulos, Megara, Griechenland, GR
1983UNICEF / Vienna Uno City, Wien, AT