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Τhe internationally acclaimed Greek sculptor creates breathtaking works of art made of “humble” aluminum cans of soft drinks, implementing a pioneering technique that contributes to sustainable growth.

Nikos Floros

A pioneering sculptor

Text: Evi Kallini
Nikos Floros

Nikos Floros was born in Tripoli, Arcadia, and grew up in Athens. He initially studied classical piano and ancient drama, before continuing his studies at the prestigious superior fine art school, Beaux-Arts de Paris. His works have been showcased around the globe, in renowned museums and cultural venues, among which the Russian Academy of Letters & Arts in Saint Petersburg, Moscow’s Tsaritsyno State Museum, Washington’s National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco (where he crafted a sculptured costume inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, commissioned by Prince Albert), Bologna’s Opera House, the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes, under the auspices of Unesco, the State of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Toledo’s El Greco Museum, Wuppertal’s Sculpture Museum and Sidney’s City Hall.

The gifted Greek sculptor gained worldwide recognition through his impressive creations that replicate the costumes worn by Maria Callas in her performances. These works are of natural size or even bigger dimensions, such as the sculptured costume inspired by Violetta, the character interpreted by Callas in the staging of Verdi’s legendary opera La traviata. The shiny metallic dress was crafted on the occasion of the 100th anniversary since the birth of the Greek diva, in 1.80×2.5 dimensions, to be showcased at Dubai’s Opera House. Along with Nikos Floros’ seven other large-sized sculptures (Mother Earth Dreaming, inspired by Frida Kahlo, and six portraits of the great soprano), it was recently exhibited at the Zappeion Megaron in Athens, within the framework of the celebration hosted by the United Arab Emirates Embassy, for the 52th anniversary since the foundation of the federate Arabic state.

In his works, endowed with a singular pop-art aesthetic, whether large-sized costumes or portraits of iconic personalities, the raw material remains the same: aluminum cans of soft drinks. His working method is truly pioneering, as he recycles aluminum by transforming it into thousands of fibers that are later used for weaving a new metallic fabric or a series of tiles; an arduous and time-consuming technique that he invented and patented in 2003, when he was living and working in New York. The innovation of his method lies in the recycling process. In his own words: “Aluminum does not die, it only undergoes a change in substance and elevates to something superior, gaining greater value.” Furthermore, his trademark technique makes a case for art’s dynamic and the role it can play in the crucial issue of awareness on sustainable growth and climate change, possibly our times’ greatest challenge.

I’m creating art as I refuse to accept the human destiny, the unavoidable end, death dictated by nature. I use my art as a Trojan horse to walk through the darkness of mortality, with the hope of discovering the light of eternity! Let us not forget that creating art is a deeply existential issue.

Nikos Floros

In addition to the core idea of recycling, another dominant feature in the work of Nikos Floros is Greek history. One of the most interesting exhibitions held in the last few years was “Heroes Made of Metal”, showcased at the Victoria Karelias Collection of Traditional Greek Costumes, in the city of Kalamata, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary since the outbreak of the Greek Revolution. In fact, his great-grandfather and namesake, chieftain Nikos Floros, had taken part in the Greek Revolution and was killed in the battle of Athens, in 1822.

In a question as to whether he singles out any of his international exhibitions as a benchmark in his career so far, here’s what he has to say: “If I were to single out an exhibition, I would pick the one held at the El Greco Museum in Toledo, Spain, where my works were displayed next to the masterpieces of the great painter! It was almost a transcendental experience for me to exhibit my work in the same place where Dominikos Theotokopoulos lived and achieved grandeur. It is the house where El Greco lived during his days in Toledo, renovated in the early 20th century to host the collection of his works.

He also speaks with fervent enthusiasm on the new project he’s got under way, on the occasion of the completion of 50 years since the Turkish invasion in Cyprus, a sculpture of Maria Callas as a caryatid. “Maria Callas is a personality that radiates the glow of Greece in the four corners of the work. Through my work I approach her as a universal symbol of culture and art, a contemporary and Doric caryatid, enveloped in the Greek flag, expressing the feeling of national pride, freedom, the untamed character of the Greeks.” It is a sculpture 2.5 meters high, made of smelter metal, bronze and steel, decorated with enamels in the blue-and-white colors of the flag. The starting-off point for the work’s journey is Cyprus, before traveling to a series of major international cities.

As to what drove him to walk down the path of art, Nikos Floros is crystal-clear: “I’m creating art as I refuse to accept the human destiny, the unavoidable end, death dictated by nature. I use my art as a Trojan horse to walk through the darkness of mortality, with the hope of discovering the light of eternity! Let us not forget that creating art is a deeply existential issue.”

Photos

Contact

artfloros@gmail.com