Constantin Xenakis: STRUCTURES AND CODES

The research of Constantin Xenakis is well known in Greece, as well as abroad, through solo shows and a considerable bibliography. This exhibition presents about 60 of his works, which cover different periods of his artistic career. Included in this show are paintings (acrylics on canvas and gouaches on paper), several of his "objects", as well as a few of his kinetic works, created in the 60's.

The poet-artist Constantin Xenakis was born in Cairo in 1931 and at the age of 21 left Egypt to study in Europe. In 1955 he went to Paris to study architecture and interior design and decided to reside there permanently.

As of 1970, he starts to teach both in Paris and Berlin. His work is shown in many solo and group exhibitions in Europe and throughout the world. His many travels bring him into contact with a variety of artistic endeavors and expressions, which, together with his Greek heritage and his relationship to Egypt, compose the multi-cultural basis of his work.

His artistic pursuits move in several directions and his experimentation is characterized by the daring of his expression. As of 1972, Constantin Xenakis incorporates in his work, in a particularly daring manner for that time, the problems of communication and the difficulty of interpreting standardized codes of social behavior, which in their turn impede social function.

By moving from the kinetic environment to the picture plane and then to three-dimensional space, the artist focused attention on the problems of social semiology. This forms the primal structure of the particularly rich work of this talented artist, who never stopped pursuing new manners of expression, which would lead to a genuine and direct world language.

Several talks and other events will take place throughout the duration of the exhibition, by the artist himself.

The Museum also published an exhibition catalog in two languages (Greek-English), which is on sale in the Museum Shop or the E-Shop.

Constantin Xenakis
"STRUCTURES AND CODES"