Kritselis' work in Athens show

              Kritselis' work
in Athens show
Dean's paintings in solo exhibit
For the first time in a
decade, VAMS Dean Alex
Kritselis presented his art­work
in his other "home" -
Athens - at a solo show in
February.
Fourteen acrylic on
wood paintings comprised
of 183 panels were includ­ed
in the exhibit titled Here
at Kaplanon5 Art Gallery
from Feb. 1 through 20.
"It was verr successful
(in several respects),"
Kritselis said after his
return to PCC. He
explained tl1e show was the
culmination of three years
in which he created 45
paintings, each of which
consists of from one to 80
wooden panels.
''Almost each panel had
another life before I used
it," he said. "I look for
material that had some
other function, then incor­porate
it in my work. I like
repurposing the material,
which now comes with its
own history and life. Even
though it's known only to
me, pieces like that have
their own identity which
cannot be duplicated."
After several days of
preparation, opening night
for the show Feb. 1 coin­cided
with a general trans­portation
strike, part of a
continuing series of
protests against the austeri­ty
program of the Greek
government due to a budg­et
crisis. "There were no
buses, trains or taxis, and it
was pouring with rain,"
Kritselis said. Despite the
conditions, the gallery was
packed.
"Over the years I've
kept a good rapport with
colleagues there," Kritselis
said, "so on opening night a
lot of mem came. I saw
people I had not seen in 40
years, and it was a very
exciting night full of fun."
Additionally, Kaplanon5
is located in Kolonaki, a
neighborhood with many
galleries, so people were
SoJtte of tbe 14 jJrJillfitzf!,s by V ANlS Dean Alex Krit.relis are seen in his solo exhibit at Kapla~ton5
A rt Galler;• in Athens, Greece, in Febma()'. Belou\ Kritsefis at the gallery UJith his JJJOrl.~.
there just to see art, and
stopped by his show.
From the opening night,
Kritselis said he got many
invitations to visit his
friends' homes or to see
their work and their stu­dios.
"I didn't have a free
night afterwards," he said,
re~ounting how Greeks
(like most Europeans) keep
much later hours than
Americans. T he opening,
for instance, was from 8 to
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