Title

ELENI KOLAITOU SCULPTURE

Eleni Kolaitou

WHERE:

AK ART FOUNDATION
AK OIA
AK FIRA
AK ATHENS

This is a permanent exhibition which takes place at all four AK spaces and presents a collection of sculptures created between 1995 and 2014. Eleni Kolaitou displays her sculptural compositions inspired by the human figure, as well as those of birds, animals and insects, using bronze and gold for her jewelry collection. The exhibition also includes a series of purely formalist clay pieces. In her bronze works, the artist explores how human and animal shapes embody the essence of morphology in nature, thus revealing the deeper meaning of their fundamental form. Through abstraction and synthesis of the morphological elements afforded by nature, Kolaitou’s sculptures illustrate the aesthetic version of these elements. Her nudes, for example, do not stop at the depiction of man’s external appearance, but delve into the expression of formalist structures, which endow the bodies with aesthetic appeal and substance. The advanced level of formalist enquiry in the artist’s works makes her art unique and particularly fascinating, as well as highly collectible. With her profound experience of materials and their divergences in terms of volume and colour, Kolaitou ultimately arrives at a form which she has termed a “Contre-Objet d’ Art”.

  • Two abstract clay sculptures inspired by ceramic plank- shaped human figures of the archaic era with contrasting blue and white colours, made by Greek contemporary artist, Eleni Kolaitou
  • Absract clay sculpture of woman's head inspired by plank- shaped human figures of the archaic era by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of the Greek AK art gallery, Santorini
  • Gold ring twig shaped with fresh water pearls, produced by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou, AK Galleries, Santorini.
  • Bronze scupture, of an abstract face inspired by the traditional costume of Santorini women, by Greek contemporary artist, Eleni Kolaitou at AK Greek art gallery
  • Standing Woman Front Side
  • Gold broach, made by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of the Greek art gallery, AK in Santorini
  • Two figurine sculptures standing on a clay boat as seen in the Greek art gallery, Asimis in Santorini
  • Two abstract faced bronze sculptures, representing Olympic champions, sculpted by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of the Greek art gallery AK, Santorini.
  • Flat laying marble sculpture as seen in Greek art gallery, Asimis in Santorini, sculpted by Greek contemporary Greek artist Eleni Kolaitou
  • Gold necklace with two long jagged gold pendants by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of the Greek art gallery, AK in Santorini
  • Four differently sized bronze sculprures representing men in suits, produced by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of the Greek art gallery, AK, Santorini
  • Long clay sculpture with intended cracks and bronze figure, sculpted by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of Greek art gallery Asimis, in Santorini
  • Clay bowl with intricately painted streaks using different shades of blue crystal in the interior of the bowl representing land and water, by contemporary Greek artist Eleni Kolaitou
  • Bronze fish sculpture sculpted in motion, as seen in Greek art gallery AK Santorini, Greece, by contemporary Greek artist Eleni Kolaitou
  • Bronze fish sculpture sculted in motion, as seen in Greek art gallery AK Santorini, Greece, by contemporary Greek artist Eleni Kolaitou
  • Clay sculpture of upper body, by contemporary greek artist Eleni Kolaitou, of Asimis art gallery, a Greek art gallery in Santorini
  • An abstract bronze sculpture bent sideways, with cracks carved in by Greek contemporary artist Eleni Kolaitou of a Greek art gallery, Asimis in Santorini
  • An abstract bronze sculture of a womans body, as seen in a Greek art gallery called Asimis in Santorini
Eleni Kolaitou

Eleni Kolaitou

Eleni Kolaitou, a highly lauded Greek sculptor, consistently arouses the visitor’s aesthetic interest and awareness through her sophisticated creations in bronze, ceramic and gold. Also, in collaboration with Katonas Asimis, she contributed to the architectural design and creation of the AK Art Foundation.

In her sculptures, the classical forms meet modernism head on through a personal conception of plasticity and the harmonious marriage between different elements.

Eleni Kolaitou was born in Cephalonia.  She studied Sculpture and Ceramics on a scholarship at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Later, while seeking new artistic forms of expression, she delved into the techniques of creating metal jewelry. Selecting gold as a material of extraordinary properties, and utilizing the infinite range of colour afforded by precious stones, she is a jewelry maker famous for the finesse and timelessness of her works. 

In our days, it is a rare and unexpected pleasure to taste the fruits of the labour of a sculptor whose artistic perception is deeply rooted in sculpture’s classical principles, which infuse her work with true substance and meaning. Beyond the contemporary essence of her creations, Eleni Kolaitou demonstrates a profound understanding of the distinct elements present in her works and forges relationships of harmony between them. Her extensive experience has allowed her to develop her own codes, which are founded on the classical notions of plasticity and harmony in sculpture. Thus, the sculpted form acquires immense power and simplicity, and this is what renders the artist’s creations so imaginative; her insistence on enduring standards of proportionality. For this reason, her works illuminate a solid perception of the essence of things, as well as the priceless and classic nature of aesthetic beauty.

Her works grace collections around the world, and she is highly valued as a very important representative of the Greek fine arts. Her large scale creations are located at the AK Art Foundation exterior space, where the visitor can also enjoy her world-renowned 22-carat gold handmade jewelry collection. Each piece of this collection is an exclusive creation, designed and handcrafted individually by the artist herself.