Kleoniki Maragkou

  Kleoniki Maragou is a Greek artist known for her contemporary abstract works. She was born in Constantinople. At a young age together with her family she moved to Athens where she studied in the Ahens Shool of Fine Art in A’ Painting workshop run by Dimitris Mytaras. Her professors  were also Arvanitis Zacharias, Angelos Antonopoulos and Dimitris Koukos.

She also studied

 

Academic Work

2003-2009                                           Fine Arts, BSc., School of Fine Arts at the University of Athens

2006-2007                                          Art & .com, School of Fine Arts at the University Athens

2004-2005                                           Mosaics, School of Fine Arts at the University Athens

2003-2004                                          Painting of icons, School of Fine Arts at the University Athens

1976-1980                                           Political Sciences, School of Law at the University of Athens

 

Solo Exhibitions

 

2013                                                    Gallery PRISMA Piraeus-Greece

2012                                                     Gallery KENT Constantinople’s Turkey

2006                                                     County House of Molfetta, Italy

2005                                                      Hilton Hotel, Rhodes-Greece

2004                                                      Roumani Hotel, Spetses-Greece

 

Group Exhibitions

 

14 June   2016                                    ATHENS MATTERS Too (Art Zone)

16 June   2016                                    << Refrugee and Migrant Crisis>> Michael Cacoyannis  Foundation, Athens, Greece .

26-29 May 2016                                 Art Athena International Contemporary Art Fair of Athens (Gallery Binyil).

27 May  2016                                     Human, Colors  + Iron 9  Factory Kahramanoglou Keratzini (EETE ).

4-12 December 2015                          Greece Foundation for International Recession and peace (E.E.Δ.Υ.Ε)

2015                                                    6th Beijing International Art Biennale, National Art Museum of China.

2014                                                     Visual Arts and Resistance (1936-2014) Picture Gallery with Ε.Ε.Τ.Ε

2014                                                    Reference to Niko Kazantzakis Gazi Festival, Curator   Chrisoula  Skempeci

2014                                                    In honor of Dominico Theotokopoulos Gallery Titanioum.

2013                                                    Greek Contemporary Art in Sanghai.

2013                                                    The color Of Violence (Unesco ) .

2011                                                   ʺMy Houseʺ DIABASI/Technopolis, Gazi

2011                                                    UNESCO, Zappeio

2011                                                   ʺWith a drachma in Artʺ, Gallery TITANIOUM

2010                                                   ʺWorld Poverty and Human Rightsʺ UNESCO/Technopolis/Gazi

2010                                                    ʺKyteʺ, County House of Rethimno-Crete.

2009                                                    ʺ50 years of Panathinaikosʺ, Gazi

2009                                                    ʺThe human figure in Artʺ, Technopolis, Gazi

2009                                                    ʺKiteʺ, County House of Athens

2009                                                    ʺEnvironmentʺ, Evgenidio Foundation-Athens

2008                                                    ʺRendez vous des Artʺ, Airport of Athens -Greece

2007                                                    ʺRomaniʺ, Cultural Centre of Melina Merkouri-Athens

2006                                                    ʺAngelsʺ, Gallery of Book-Athens

2006                                                    ʺTrinemiaʺ, County House of Athens

2006                                                     Gallery AION-Athens

2006                                                     Gallery SKOUFA-Athens

2006                                                     ʺ4ο European Social Forum, Airport of Athens-Greece

2006                                                     Theater ALTERA PAR-Athens

2005                                                     ʺPoetry in Picturesʺ, French Institute of Athens

2002                                                     Gallery ELEMENT-Athens

2002                                                     Gallery SKOUFA-Athens

2001                                                     Gallery PLEIADES-Athens

2000                                                     Vouliagmeni Nautical Club-Athens

 

While starting this rough sketch of my entire work in order to make its very essence understood, it is imperative to throw the light  on the major role played by the meaningful process of my substantial, and definitely constructive ,academic studies.

As a matter of fact it is precisely this course that has enlightened  the path towards my abstractionist research ,and has eventually  lead to the personally figurative  character of my work.

Among the fundamental requirements set in the progress of my painting, requirements which have built it up, thus giving shape to my personal writing, there can be found the synthesis of space , time and shapes within the balance ,harmony and  variable weights of similar or heteroclite elements. The force of gesture plays a basic role , but so does the force of fortuitous elements that I am each time called to make mine and integrate in such way that will give birth to sounds,  smells, tastes and memories , which I recompose into quiet, or not strong ,abstraction. What has almost become my work’s guideline is the opinion that the ‘’little is much…’’, a fundamental notion of abstraction , and not the ‘’what I will create…’’, but the ‘how I will create it…’. How I can give shape to strong sensations and memories, how I can give form to the invisible!

I consider that as the most difficult and challenging ‘’bet’’ for the artist as , within the scope of abstraction , he must confront extreme feeling and sensations , elements which cannot be grasped and that nobody can see , but only hear within. As a consequence, what becomes outstandingly difficult is the fact that the artist is called to give shape and matter to the immaterial, by the means of colour , but also of rhythm, through the gesture of moving his brush.

Thus ,within this whole process which becomes catalytic for the results of my entire work, balances , harmonies, the rhythms between tensions and silences and eventually melodies touching deep feelings are achieved.

At the same time , the different and rich writing characteristics , combined with the measuring of weight ,as the elements of space are concerned, lead to such environments as they almost cease to be deprived of energy, but give the impression of concrete images.

Like a puzzle which , once completed ,recalls for us a memory. The memory of situation , a sensation, a person, a smell ,taste or a space.

In the end, the inner wholeness that a work of art convey is never granted for all… But if it manages to touch even one of the above-mentioned , then we will keep the hope that maybe one day we will become better human beings.

Kleoniki Maragou