The dynamic of color and psyche in paintingInterview to Dora Eliopoulou-Rogan, for the monthly magazine "LIVING" , Nov.?91

Starting with the new winter season and at the peak of his career, Costis Georgiou sets out dynamically at several levels and directions in plastic arts. More specifically, he has already presented and will continue to present different parts of his work under the title "Gladiatoris - Viatoris - Acrobats" at the following places : the U.N. building in Geneva (last September), the "Titanium" Gallery in Athens , a gallery which supported him and is now exposing his work from October until the 10th November on, the "Eirmos" Gallery in Thessaloniki (next November ) and the "K" Gallery in London ( this October). We?ve also heard that this talented artist was chosen among 3000 other artists for the painting TRIENNALE in Osaka, Japan. Georgiou, the only Greek representative at this exhibition is also one of the 120 artists coming from different places of the world, who were eventually chosen.

Born in Thessaloniki in 1956 Georgiou graduated from the Athens University of Fine Arts with professors such as Pr. D.Mytaras and Pr. D.Kokkinides and started his career around 1974. He finished his studies at the Royal College of Fine Arts in London with Pr. Peter de Francia and has also studied scenography in Florence. He taught painting and scenography at the L.Stavrakos School of Cinema in Athens (1988-1991) and worked as a scenographer at the theater and for the Greek television (1982-1988).
Georgiou who has already 22 personal exhibitions in his career in Greece and abroad, as well as a dynamic presence in several group exhibitions in great cultural places and museums all over the world has repeatedly gained good critics like for example on the occasion of LINEART in Ghent, where Georgiou along with Apostolos Giagianos were the favorite topic of the Belgian press.
On his first - significant for his course and his whole career - personal exhibition at the "Ora" Gallery (1984) Georgiou proved his great talent in sculpture as well as in painting. The figures exposed then revealed an indeed most personal and dynamic style. The stature of those figures in space prepared us then for his plans now over the near future. Plans which include a new three-dimensional presence in his field.
Coming from a profound expressionism, with specific artistic references in the beginning of his career, Georgiou has developed a personal style in an inductive way through a deep colored palette, as we all had the opportunity to discover in his previous exhibition at the "Titanium" Gallery. In that work figures had much given way to the prevailing chromatic factor which seemed to have played the first role exclusively. In his late work though, figures come back and like a golden mean along with bold color realize and mark a climax, ever reached before in his career. It is a kind of "synopsis" as well as a notice for a new start. "The poetic and mythological element are of great importance to me", the artist confessed in a friendly chat we had with him. "I?ve always wanted to scratch the figure and split it into space."

Answering to our question, whether he is consciously expressing his thoughts and beliefs while he is working, the interesting artist confirmed our suspicion. A suspicion which refers to the work of every great creator ; he paints instinctively and devotes himself to his work so entirely, that he loses touch with his environment. And precisely this devotion to his work is what verifies his intense, dynamic talent in every way, at every stage of his work or with every mean of his artistic expression. We wish him to continue, as successfully as so far, his rising course to the international scene of art.