Grigoris Semitecolo

Born

1935-01-01

Died

2014-12-23

Birthplace

Athens, Greece

Biography

Grigoris Semitekolo (Greek: Γρηγόρης Σεμιτέκολο) was born in Athens in 1935. He first studied in the workshop of Panos Sarafianos and then at the Athens School of Fine Arts, with Yannis Moralis as his teacher. He continued his studies in Munich, where in 1962 he presented his work for the first time at the University of Munich. His acquaintance with Yannis Christou resulted in his participation as a performer in the works of the great Greek composer "Epicycle" and "Representation III - The Pianist", which were presented in 1969 at the Hellenic-American Union of Athens and in other Greek cities, as well as in cities in Europe and America. From the early 1970s he began organizing happenings with live music (in 1972 with the composer Christos Sfetsas), while from 1974 the characteristic human figures, the white, genderless and expressionless “dolls”, appear in his work, which have since participated in many of his actions, often with a satirical content and ritualistic style. In his painting he develops a personal language, with images of symbolic objects or abstract motifs, in dreamlike compositions, with evocative colors and harsh lighting, which create a surrealistic atmosphere. In 1985 he presented the performance “Cosmic Anatomy”, which was repeated at the 5th Montivilliers Festival (1990) and at the Athens Concert Hall (1992), while in 1993 it was filmed by Vassilis Vafeas and made into a film. He was a founding member of the Center for Visual Arts (KET). He also worked on stage design, curated musical theater performances and collaborated with other visual artists on the sound design of their works. His visual work has been presented in many solo and group exhibitions, in Greece and abroad. His works are in private and public collections, such as the National Gallery, the Gallery of the Municipality of Athens, the Center for Contemporary Art of Rethymno "Lefteris Kanakakis", the Vorre Museum and elsewhere. Grigoris Semitekolo died on December 23, 2014, at the age of 79. His wife was the well-known pianist Nelli Semitekolo.