Vrouvas Kostas (1951)


Born in Piraeus in 1951, he studied painting and printmaking at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence (1974-1978). He presented his first solo exhibition of painting and sculpture in Athens (1982, Argo Gallery).
In his early work he used many different materials and media (tempera, oil, stone, marble, gold foil), with the female nude as his prevalent choice of subject.
His career evolves in stages as he develops a personal artistic idiom, with painting acquiring a three-dimensional character and the descriptive elements gradually receding. In his wall-mounted or freestanding constructions he employs increasingly complex technical means, while his subject matter focuses on the concepts of sound and silence, space and time. These preoccupations are reflected in most of his work, which is presented in long continuous series.
His recent work comprises mainly sculptural compositions and installations with the use of metallic or wooden structures which often incorporate readymade parts of objects or machinery, elements of sound instruments, pipes, iron and tools, suggesting the presence of musical instruments or even an entire orchestra. In this way he continues his research on space and time and traces the relation between music and visual art. The implicit presence of sound complements the visual perception of space and suggests the dimension of time.
On these subjects he has collaborated also with sculptors Ersi Venetsianou and Nakis Tastsioglou, with whom he has organised joint exhibitions with installations, environments and happenings.
He is also active in the design and creation of jewellery.
He has presented his work in over 10 solo exhibitions and has participated in group shows in Greece, France and Italy. He has participated also in the Paris Biennale (1982), the Expo-Arte in Bari (1988), the Panhellenic Exhibition of 1989 and various international Sculpture Exhibitions and Symposia (1983, 1985, etc.). His works feature in public and private collections in Greece, Italy and Switzerland.