Kostas Michos

Painter, Sculptor | Greece

Kostas Michos is a visual artist with painting, drawing, and visual objects as his primary means of expression. He was born in 1978 and grew up in Nea Smyrni, Athens. He graduated from the Department of Painting, Sculpture, and Art History at the private school Vakalo. Prior to that, he apprenticed alongside the painter Chronis Botsoglou. With a profound personality and historical, folkloric, and philosophical interests, he studied at the Department of Balkan, Slavic, and Eastern Studies at the University of Macedonia and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Athens, focusing on “Educational Technology and Human Resource Development.”

Nowadays, his life is shared between being an officer in the Greek Police force, where he also pursues his professional career, and being a visual artist.

As a visual artist, he has showcased his work in four solo exhibitions, and some of his artworks can be found in private collections. Kostas Michos collaborates with ARC – Art Revisited Collective since December 2021.

Statement

I create by leveraging my knowledge and experiences, building upon constantly revised ideas and new materials. Typically, my inspiration is fueled by my memories and historical research, especially when I sense that the inclination of the imposed cultural order systematically seeks to cover them with the dust of oblivion. I am particularly captivated by the interplay of light and shadow, which at its edges brings forth forms and landscapes that deeply move me. In my painting, I strive to capture that fleeting moment which, while eluding our attention, still has the potential to unveil artistic values and intellectual meanings through its visual approach.

AT A GLANCE

Genre: Painting, Sculptural Constructions
Medium: Mixed Techniques, Inks and Watercolors on Paper, Oil on Canvas
Style: Representational, Expressionism, Surrealism
Themes: Visual commentary on historical issues, matters of national identity, everyday life ideologies.
Workshop: Athens, Greece
Associations: –
Price Range: €100-2500
International Scale:
EMERGING | HIGH-POTENTIAL | MID-CAREER | ESTABLISHED

RECENT ARTWORKS

CAREER LANDMARKS & ACADEMIC RESEARCH (with an impact on his artworks)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

“Sto Klari”, curated by Paris Kapralos, Chili Art Gallery, Athens, 2023

“Ο tempera o mores”, curated by Chronis Botsoglou, Cultural Center of the Municipality of Glyfada, Athens, 2019.

“Struthocamouflage in the History of the Balkans”, Cultural Center of the Municipality of Palaio Faliro, Athens, 2012.

“Lysicrates in Color”, Philological Association “Parnassos”, Athens, 2008.

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SPECIAL PROJECTS & WORKS IN THE PUBLIC SPACE

Verita International School project. Permanent installation of 96 portraits of 18th & 19th century personalities from over 20 countries. The artworks, displayed in 6 plexiglass panels, adorn the main entrance of the school. Athens, 2022. Detailed information HERE.

“Emilia Art Event”, exhibition and auction for the financial support / crowdfunding of the independent film production “Emilia”, Concept: Stavros Myronidis, Curator: Evy Kyrmakidou, Organized by: Myrό Gallery, “Allatini-Dassō” Hall, French Institute of Thessaloniki, 2019.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
(selection)

“Unforgotten Homelands: Symbols and Memories”, Concept and curation by Paris Kapralos, as part of the festival “KALAMARIA 1922-2022 A Sea of Memories… and We All Became One,” organized by the Municipality of Kalamaria, commemorating 100 years since the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Polyhoros Art Gallery ‘Remezzo’, Kalamaria/Thessaloniki, 2022.

“The Aspect of Things”, Concept & Curation: Paris Kapralos, organized by ARTgrID, Chili Art Gallery, Athens, 2022.

“Kaleidoscope”, Curated by Dr. Sasha Chaitow, Concept & Organization: Paris Kapralos, The Attic Gallery, Corfu, 2019.

“Rendezvous of Self-Governance with Culture”, Curated by Stelios Maroulis, organized by the Union of Artists and Writers of Ilioupoli, Cultural Center of the Municipality of Ilioupoli, Athens, 2019.

“Dione”, Curated by Eugenia Chorega, organized by the Union of Visual Artists “Dione”, Deliolanis Art Space, Athens, 2015.

“Art Travels to Kallithea”, Curated by Leontios Petmezakis, organized by the Cultural Association Koumari “To Skoumpi”, Cultural Center of the Municipality of Kallithea, Athens, 2013.

“Kaleidoscope of Art Action”, Workers’ Center of Athens, Technopolis City of Athens, Athens, 2008.

PUBLISHED RESEARCH
[the links lead in the particular issues of magazines and reviews where each work was published, for academic confirmation reason; however, kindly note that the content is in Greek]

“The Flag of the Conquest: Historical Pages that Challenge the Conventional Symbols Used by the Ottomans”, Free Research, March 1st, 2019.

“Parasites of History: Grandiose Historiographers in Service of Ideology of Various Authorities from Antiquity to the Present”, Free Research, January 8th, 2016.

“The Protectorate Greece during the Crimean War”, Free Research, February 6th, 2015.

“A Tzavelas, an International Pirate: The Peculiar Story of a Descendant of a Heroic Family Who Ended Up as a Pirate in the Waters of the Indian Ocean”, Daulos Magazine, Issue 278, 2005.

“The Cyclopes Then and Now: A Psychological Approach to the Homeric Myth”, Daulos Magazine, Issue 278, 2005.

“The Unknown ‘Anglo-French War for the Revival of the Olympic Games'”, Daulos Magazine, Issue 268, 2004.

 

“A World Champion of the 19th Century: (Continuation of the Report on P. KOUTALIANOS and the Archer T. GEORGIOS)”, Daulos Magazine, Issue 253, 2003.

Panagis Koutalianos: The Survival of the Ancient Heroic Ideal among the Greeks of the 19th Century. “Daulos” Magazine, nationwide circulation, issue 251, 2002.

Successors after the Conquest: Reference to the Successors of the Byzantine Throne Who Emigrated to Western Europe and Russia after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Newspaper “AKARNANIA,” Issues 35, 36, 2001.

Chess: The History of the Game and Its Psychological Value. Newspaper “AKARNANIA,” September 1999.

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BOOKS

“Cultivating Awareness -Narrative Highlights“, a book that uncovers literary treasures that remained hidden for years within the pages of Greek newspapers from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, published by Nikas, Athens 2023.

“Tit-Bits,” compilation of the “tidbits” from Athenian newspapers 1860-1917, “Nikas” Publications, Athens 2022.

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WEB PROJECTS
PANAGIS COUTALIANOS: Human Artillery Battery
Website dedicated to the extensive research conducted by Kostas Michos on the renowned Greek wrestler of the late 19th century.

ARTWORKS

Ostrichism -Βurying one's head in the sand

Self-submission. This might be the word that best expresses the timeless spiritual condition of the Balkan nations during the long and painful process of creating their state entities up until today.

They submit themselves to historical oblivion in order to justify their existence on the map. They use nationalism as a cover for their fear and insecurity. They persist in regressing in a world that moves forward and struggle to build bridges of cooperation among themselves, as they magnify what divides them and minimize what unites them. They prefer to ignore problems rather than solve them, believing that what they don’t see… simply doesn’t exist. They bury their heads in the sand.

Balkan heroes, painted on ostrich eggs, a depiction of a truth, a reality.

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KOSTAS MICHOS IN THE MEDIA

[Kostas Michos has published many articles in scientific journals, magazines, etc in Greece. However, those articles along with interviews, and other forms of publicity  can be found in media and websites in languages other than English. Click on the Greek flag (top right on this page) to access his website in Greek for more details].