YORGOS KYPRIS

Yorgos Kypris , born 1954, is a Cypriot sculptor who lives and works between Athens and Santorini in Greece. He continues to take part in numerous solo and group exhibitions, commissions work, designs jewelry and permanently exhibits his work through MATI, his personal art gallery. His work has been published in a number of books, articles and magazines. His best known works include the “Entrapped Fish” installation, at the Lobby of the World Bank Building, Washington D.C., commissioned in 1997, the “Gate of Knowledge” – a sculptural steel gate, erected in 1998 in the yard of St. Paul High school, Pafos, Cyprus, the body of works “Fish” (1993-), the “Parallel Notions” body of works (2001) and the “Observers”, an installation of four sited figures on poles, 4,5m high each, commissioned (2002) at Fabrica Commercial Center, Fira, Santorini, Greece.

Yorgos Kypris is the second of three sons, born of Greek Cypriot parents. Kypris moved from Cyprus to Athens, Greece at the age of thirteen. There he attended the Sarafianos School of Art, where he studied drawing and painting. Between 1975 and 1979 he studied at the Istituto Statale d’ Arte per la Ceramica, Faenza, Italy. During his studies in Italy he worked with the Italian sculptor Domenico Matteuci and Greek sculptor Panos Tsolakos. In 1980 he returned to Athens to establish “Studio 71” alongside ceramic artist Antonella Toschi where they produced design objects and sculptures. In 1990, he abandoned ceramics and he expands by experimenting with new art forms and materials such as metals, foam, plastic, castings and installations. In 1985 he married to Antonella Toschi. The couple has two children, a son and a daughter.

He has shown his work in numerous solo exhibitions in Europe and USA and has participated in group exhibitions in Museums and Foundations in Greece, Cyprus, USA, France, Italy, Swiss, Sweden, Luxemburg, Hungary, Turkey, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Commissioned works and environments of Kypris make part of public and private collections in Europe, North & South America and Asia. He has published articles in art magazines and designed jewellery & pottery for Greek and Italian manufacturers. He has won awards in art competitions in Greece and abroad.

Kypris’ personal art gallery, MATI, is located in the island of Santorini in Greece and offers the artist’s sculptural & jewellery work along with a selection of work from Greek pioneering jewellery designers.

Kypris’ work focuses often in the human psyche. Through his multi-media oeuvre he attends to highlight the egocentric and cruel aspects of human race. The issues that mostly interest him are void, loneliness, sadness, vanity, immigration, religion and applied politics.