{"id":54259,"date":"2026-05-06T08:36:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ikastikos-kiklos.com\/in-praise-of-sculpture-1st-sculpture-workshop-18-artists-honour-their-teacher-theodoros-papagiannis\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T08:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:37:13","slug":"in-praise-of-sculpture-1st-sculpture-workshop-18-artists-honour-their-teacher-theodoros-papagiannis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ikastikos-kiklos.com\/en\/in-praise-of-sculpture-1st-sculpture-workshop-18-artists-honour-their-teacher-theodoros-papagiannis\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIn Praise of Sculpture\u201d 1st Sculpture Workshop: 18 artists honour their teacher, Theodoros Papagiannis"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″]\n\t\t\t

\"eng-PAPAGIANNIS\n\t\t\t<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_custom_heading text=”\u201cIn Praise of Sculpture\u201d 1st Sculpture Workshop: 18 artists honour their teacher, Theodoros Papagiannis” google_fonts=”font_family:Ubuntu%20Condensed%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Sianti Gallery<\/strong> presents the group sculpture exhibition \u201cIn Praise of Sculpture\u201d<\/strong>, a significant artistic event bringing together artworks by eighteen artists<\/strong>, all graduates of the 1st Sculpture Workshop of the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA). The exhibition pays tribute to their teacher, Theodoros Papagiannis<\/strong>, and opens on Friday, May 15, from 19:30 to 22:00<\/strong>, curated by<\/strong> Professor Emeritus of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Manos Stefanidis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This exhibition carries a clear artistic and ideological direction, aiming to reintroduce sculpture as a public, social, and deeply political form of art. As the curator notes, \u201cthe work of art is a priori an act of love\u2026 even more so when it disturbs,\u201d emphasizing that the essence of art lies not in ease or aesthetic pleasure, but in its ability to question, unsettle, and awaken the viewer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At a time when commodification and cultural uniformity strongly shape the artistic landscape, sculpture\u2014perhaps the art form most directly connected to public space\u2014appears to be under pressure. \u201cNot only nature but art itself is under threat,\u201d Stefanidis remarks, indirectly referencing the concept of \u201csocial sculpture\u201d introduced by Joseph Beuys, and raising the question of whether contemporary art can still function as an act of resistance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The exhibition \u201cIn Praise of Sculpture\u201d responds to this question through the works of participating artists who, although belonging to different generations, are connected through a shared pedagogical and artistic experience. The long teaching career of Theodoros Papagiannis at the Athens School of Fine Arts, from 1970 to 2009, played a decisive role in shaping many of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Papagiannis himself states: \u201cI deeply believe that a teacher in an art school does not only give, but also receives,\u201d<\/em> describing a reciprocal relationship in which teaching is inseparable from continuous exploration and evolution. In his workshop, education extended beyond theory, focusing on direct engagement with materials, nature, and the creative process. \u201cWe wanted students to learn to see with their own eyes,\u201d he notes, summarizing a philosophy that emphasized autonomy and personal expression.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The works presented in the exhibition reflect precisely this approach: an ongoing confrontation with form, material, and space, as well as a deeper need to understand the world. Through diverse techniques and perspectives, the artists create a polyphonic body of work that highlights the vitality and dynamism of contemporary sculpture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the same time, the exhibition engages in dialogue with the history of Greek sculpture, evoking figures such as Yannis Pappas, Christos Kapralos, and Giorgos Zongolopoulos, who shaped the country\u2019s modern artistic identity. This reference to tradition does not function nostalgically, but rather as a reminder of continuity and the responsibility borne by each new generation of creators. The central question of the exhibition remains whether sculpture today is an object of praise or moving toward a kind of \u201crequiem.\u201d The answer emerges through the exhibition experience itself: despite its challenges, sculpture continues to resist, transform, and assert its place in the contemporary world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As the curator emphasizes, \u201cknowledge of art is not a useless luxury but an act of essential self-awareness.\u201d This is precisely where \u201cIn Praise of Sculpture\u201d focuses: on art as necessity, as a means of understanding, and as a force capable of transforming everyday life into experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Theodoros Papagiannis<\/strong>
\nTheodoros Papagiannis was born in 1942 in Elliniko, Ioannina. He studied on scholarship at the Athens School of Fine Arts and continued his education in Paris, focusing on new sculptural materials. During a sabbatical, he lived in New York. He has held over 50 solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad. He has been honoured by the President of the Hellenic Republic with the rank of Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, and by the Academy of Athens with the Silver Medal. The 10th Gymnasium of Ioannina bears his name. He is an Honorary Doctor of the University of Ioannina and taught for 39 years at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Today, he is Professor Emeritus of the institution. In 2009, he founded the Museum of Contemporary Art in Elliniko, Ioannina. He lives and works in Athens.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Participating Sculptors<\/strong>
\nVassilis Vassili, Kostas Vryttias, Stelios Gavalas, Aspasia Gianneta, Kostas Dikefalos, Aris Katsilakis, Aphrodite Liti, Giorgos Lappas, Andreas Lolis, Loukas Loukidis, Thanasis Beroutsos, Antonia Papantzanaki, Periklis Pravitas, Dimitris Skalkotos, Giorgos Stamatopoulos, Nikos Tranos, Leonidas Chalepas, Dimitris Christogiannis.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″]\n\t\t\t

\"feature-papagiannis\"\n\t\t\t<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]OPENING
\nFriday 15 May at 7.30p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

DURATION
\n15\/5 – 6\/6\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

CURATION
\nManos Stefanidis<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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