Exhibition “Takis – Energy Spaces”
MOMus- Museum Alex Mylona
(5, Agion Asomaton Square, Thiseio, Athens)
Duration of exhibition: 15 May – 17 October 2021 | EXTENDED until October 31, 2021
11 + 1 works compose the wonderful world of Takis (Panagiotis Vassilakis 1925-2019, Athens) in the exhibition entitled "Takis-Energy Spaces" presented by MOMus- Museum Alex Mylona in Athens (5 Agion Asomaton Square, Thiseio), until October 17, 2021 (extended until October 31, 2021), in collaboration with MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art- Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections
The historical-milestones’ works in the artistic course of the international Greek artist, the Flower (1978), the Sonic (1965) the Girl (1976) the Boy (1976), the Signal (1974), the Musical (1977) among others, are all part of the donation of Alexandros Iolas to the then Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, which are permanently exhibited on the premises of the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, are next to the video and photographic depiction of the emblematic works of Gong (1978) and the Telelights (Télélumiere, 1961), which could not be moved from Thessaloniki to the Museum in Athens. The exhibition is completed by the sound installation Music space 1 (2004), from the collection of the Municipal Art Gallery of Larissa-G.I. Katsigras Museum, as well as archival material and photographs.
Together, they transform the MOMus- Museum Alex Mylona Exhibition Floor, a museum dedicated to contemporary sculpture, into an energy environment with epic and prolonged sounds that convey the elements of oscillation, movement, light, vibration, pulling and striking.
As the art historian-curator of the exhibition of MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art, Katerina Syroglou notes: "How does Takis approach his themes with the spirit of an inspired inventor, giving life to trivial, ordinary materials and turned art into a game of movement and sound?" The pioneer, self-taught almost larger-than-life artist, whose initiatives included "launching" the first artist-astronaut into space, a series of explosive performances and participatory actions, asserted himself as a guest researcher in physics and engineering at MIT and sold-out music performances at the University of Berkley. How does an artist with such an inventor’s instinct conceive of contemporary sculpture? He convinced us of his vision, as a child, charged his artistic creations with dynamism and intensity, turned industrial waste into art, elevated his sculptures and illuminated the post-war landscape, activated the sounds, movement and time of his world, dedicated himself to research and observation, and forsook traditional mediums, always leading to startling results and astonishing experiences. "
In the exhibition "Takis - Energy Spaces" inclusive applications are created in the framework of the project "Mind's Eye" that ensure the accessibility of visually impaired people in the works Sound (1965), Signal (1974) and Musicale (1977) by the artist Takis. "Mind's Eye" is an OffStream project, implemented in 2020 at a part of the collection of the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki in collaboration with the Center for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind of the Thessaloniki Branch.