Expressions of agony through steel. Interview to Cosmas Vidos, for the Sunday newspaper "TO VIMA", 10/11/96.

"The late sculptural work of Costis Georgiou could be described without doubt as impressive in many aspects. Themes often environmental, a dramatic contrast of texture and color, as well as evocative measures", commented Regina Argyraki, Pr.Ph. at the Aristotelion University Thessaloniki. Impressive, however is not the only characteristic word one could choose to describe the late work of the artist, as Pr. Argyraki very well pointed out, following in her critic. Costis Georgiou presents a big unit of works made of iron which involves hard labor and forces one to take a step further and see through the impressive masses -It is really amazing how could these masses of iron were turned into forms and shapes, like curves and circles...- right into the point which is bitter, melancholic, true to today?s life.

"I feel happy when I realize by the comments of the public which sees my work, that people are not only interested in how difficult or easy It was for me to give them form, but furthermore they want to know what?s beyond the technique, what is that the creator wanted to convey with his work", explained Costis Georgiou refering to the huge, strange animal figures, exhibited this week at the "Titanium" Gallery. The silver fish, wounded by a hunter?s spear, the chained bull, this huge, tied up beetle, the strange animal figures walking on a ground full with long red nails, the red trees (either on fire or fake; could they really be memories of the trees which no longer exist?), the caged animals into iron boxes; all of them cries of agony in a world which is being tortured, destroyed, murdered.

"Animals present a popular and very familiar theme in my work, coming back again and again in my sculpture and in my painting" pointed out Costis Georgiou. "This is a personal agony at the sight of the ecological destruction. A fear for a tomorrow without life, a tomorrow in a dead environment". This is why his animals either suffer in chains, or walk on surfaces which hurt them, or are put into cages, or still destroyed. They are made of iron as well as their bonds; however they retain a strange tenderness, a very significant element to the artist in this thematic unit.
"It is rather masochistic, I know, but I consciously put myself into such pains. I didn?t want to make it easy for me. In all my works, starting from the small ones -and assuming the easiest ones- to the biggest. I fought to communicate what I had in mind, no matter how difficult or sometimes unrealizable it might have seemed in the beginning. Now that I?ve finished, I may say, my worrying over the appeal of my work to the public came to an end, probably because I?ve worked so hard, and the prevailing feelings now are contentment and satisfaction. You know, I have this strange feeling that I?ve won".

The sculpture exhibition of Costis Georgiou, under the general title "Rhapsody of the Present", takes place at the Titanium-Gallery (44, V. Constantinou Ave) starting from 11/11/1996 until the 29/11/19996. Among the exposed works the public will be able to see the enormous constitution with which the artist will participate the Madrid Arco?97