Vlassis Caniaris
Past
3 October – 2 November 2024
11 Haritos Street, Kolonaki
Kalfayan Galleries (11 Haritos Street, Kolonaki, Athens) present a solo exhibition of Vlassis Caniaris’ (1928 – 2011) work, which sheds further light on the multifaceted artistic practice of the artist, one of the most significant of the post-war period in Greece. Well-known for his socio-political concerns, which are reflected in his ‘Gastarbeiter-Fremdarbeiter’ (‘Guest workers – Foreign Workers’) series from the mid-70s, the artist focused on the lives and living conditions of emigrants living in Germany at the time.
In 2009, two years before his death, the artist presented for the first time in Athens at Kalfayan Galleries, his monumental installation titled ‘Arrivederci-Willkommen-1976’ which was featured since then at exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including Museum for Modern Art (MKK) (Frankfurt), National Gallery, Athens, WIELS Contemporary Art Centre (Brussels) and Gwangju Biennale.The current show, which marks the fourth solo presentation of the artist’s work at Kalfayan Galleries, features, among others individual sculptures, works from the ‘Walls’ series ( 1950s-1970s) and two historic installations dated in 1974.
Artists
Vlassis Caniaris
Vlassis Caniaris (Athens, 1928 – 2011) was always a keen observer of his surroundings but also of the world at large. Thus his iconography has always focused on socio-political themes. He is one of the most significant artists of the post-war period in Greece and contributed to the emergence of a new artistic climate. From 1956 to 1960 he lived and studied in Rome and then settled in Paris until 1971. From 1973 to 1975 he lived in Berlin and then returned to Athens where he lived and worked until his death. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1950-1955),The School of Fine Arts, Rome (1959) and the University of Athens, School of Medicine (1946-1950). In 1976 he was elected to the chair in Architecture at the National Technical University in Athens and remained until 1996.
Installation Views
