Costas Varotsos
“Our relationship, after so many years of cooperation and trust, has become more friendly than professional. I have worked flawlessly with the Group over the years, starting with the work that decorates the entrance of Sofitel Athens Airport. I was particularly pleased with the aesthetic result and the collaboration at that time.
Today, for the new hotel, he is designing a hanging installation, and as he mentions: ‘This is an interior piece that will be placed in the hotel’s atrium. Some hotel rooms overlook the atrium, and the work will be visible, creating a unique experience for the guests. It is an installation of glass masses and natural stones hanging from the atrium’s ceiling, a necessary condition in spaces with large sizes and heights.’
During his long creative journey, Costas Varotsos has faced many challenges and difficulties, primarily related to the dimensions of the spaces in which he has been invited to design his works.
Since this is an internal and introspective work, I did not aim to incorporate descriptive elements. The sculpture that decorates the entrance of Sofitel Athens Airport has a relationship between the internal and external environment. There, I used the element of water as a reference to the external space, to create this correlation. In the case of the new Mitsis N’U Piraeus Port hotel, the hotel guests and observers of the sculpture are already within the space. Thus, the sculpture ultimately appears as a small surprise that the hotel itself offers. The city of Piraeus was not on my mind as a backdrop, which gave me great freedom to create an introspective internal narrative that invites dreaming.
The work in the hotel’s atrium will be visible from specific rooms, inviting guests to discover it in their own time and space, making them feel as though they are hosting it in their own homes. How does this experience of encountering the work differ from viewing a piece in a purely public space, such as a square or a museum?
Since the work is not placed inside a museum but within the interior of a hotel, which is considered a public space, it follows the same rules. The only difference is that the viewing experience has a positive aspect; it is in a more advantageous position compared to work placed in the centre of a city. A city is a constantly evolving organism, which is a significant challenge in placing a work. The city itself is your aesthetic competitor, and you are ultimately the loser because the city is stronger than you. That is the big bet: how an artwork will survive artistically within the city.
It is crucial to have an osmotic exchange between the specialities to achieve a cohesive result through synthesis rather than analysis. In this case, there was no need for collaboration with architects, as my work does not decorate the façade. This allowed me to operate autonomously, as the placement is in a neutral architectural space. The collaboration between architects and artists can yield amazing results, especially in the design of works intended for public spaces.
Your work showcases a variety of materials, from glass to stone and iron. Could you share how your choice of materials influences the design and execution of your sculptures, particularly in terms of conveying emotions and themes that you often explore?
Material has its own culture. However, in my work, I did not use it as such; I did not want the material to speak but for me to speak through it. I arrived at glass through an analysis of space and time and the need to create with transparent materials that express the space itself. My desire was for the space’s void to become my material. Therefore, I needed transparent materials that allow light diffusion. This led me to glass, a material that has brought me much joy and continues to offer new things. However, glass should not become a mannerism. It might be entirely unsuitable in some other case. The concept is what interests me more. For instance, in Lucerne, I used wire rope, iron, and concrete (referring to his work titled “Tension-Energy,” a steel needle with high-tech wire rope connecting to the second square, almost 200 meters away, to support a hollow concrete hemisphere weighing several tons).
Recently, we have observed rapid redevelopment in Piraeus, as well as significant activity in the fields of gastronomy and culture in the area. How crucial is art in shaping the identity of the region?
Piraeus was neglected and abandoned for many years. Today, it is gradually changing its form. This is the natural evolution of cities. We must not forget that cities are living organisms, which makes placing a work of art in public spaces a difficult and demanding endeavor. Piraeus is in a state of revival. For art to shape its identity, it must have something to say; otherwise, it is meaningless. Unfortunately, today art is going through an introspective phase across Europe. In this decade, art describes things rather than proposing them. It wavers between journalism and the absurd. The trend towards being politically correct has turned into a fascist force that has frozen art, stifled creativity, and suffers in conservative environments where restless spirits have no place.
See the magical installation at Mitsis N’U Piraeus Port!
I am an artist who, with persistence and difficulties, decided to stay in Greece. I create in Greece, and my works are born in Greece. I go abroad because I am invited; I am an “exporter of art.” Every time I am away from Greece, I eagerly look forward to returning to Aegina. I do not express any external artistic movement nor belong to any of them. I am a Greek artist, and everything I do is Greek. Here, I also identify a mistake often made by young artists. They think that by copying foreign artists, they will become international. Only when you understand and express your own culture can you become international.