Theodoulos Gregoriou: Between Earth and Sky

Between the tranquillity of Cyprus and the vibrancy of Paris, the only Cypriot artist to have exhibited his work at the Louvre speaks about his relationship with the universe of art.

ι grew up in a rural family in the village of Malounta. A rural family means a wealth of experiences, peculiar and very personal. As a child, I had no contact with art. I only had some experiential exposure to Byzantine art – incredible icons that I would marvel at in the church, wondering what divine power had created them. The Byzantine sounds and chants were very familiar to me, as my father was a chanter with a sweet, melodic voice. On the other hand, my mother wove, with perfection and dedication, all kinds of traditional textiles, passing on in her own way a love for material and pattern. All of this became a language within me. I didn’t choose art; rather, art chose me. 

First Experiences

When we planted in the fields, we would find shells and broken objects. I played with the first artifacts that emerged from the soil. I lived not far from the historic copper mine of Mitseros, where the red lake is today. There I learned to see the ground as something that hides stories. In this way, I experienced Land Art first and before even knowing its history. These elements reappear in my works: the stones, the metallic shades, the layers of matter, but also the layers of time on things – and on life itself.

THE ROAD TO INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

I studied in Bucharest during a difficult political period, under Ceaușescu. Later, I received a scholarship from the French government and moved to Paris. That’s where I took root. Thirty-five years later, when I returned to Bucharest for a retrospective at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, I felt that a cycle had closed, allowing me to give back the fruits I had received from the country.

THE MOMENTS THAT SHAPED THE JOURNEY

I remember when the then-director of the Venice Biennale, Giovanni Carandente, called me to announce that the international committee had selected my work for the Aperto 90 exhibition at the 1990 Biennale. The outcome of that participation opened the way for what followed. Another defining moment came a year later, in 1991, when, at midnight in the Centre Régional d’Art Contemporain Midi-Pyrénées in Toulouse, we were setting up a group exhibition and the museum’s director was kneeling on the floor to secure a piece. I told him they had a wonderful space and, as if testing my intentions, he suggested that I put on an exhibition myself. He opened his office for me at midnight to hand me the museum’s floor plan, asking me to present him with a proposal. It was an unsuspecting moment that fueled my entire career, because in that way, almost by chance, held my first –and one of my most important– exhibitions in France, shaping the course of my artistic journey.

THE LOUVRE EXPERIENCE

In 2008-2009, I exhibited my works at the Louvre, in the section dedicated to Cypriot antiquities from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. I attempted a dialogue with the Neolithic era and copper, which have always been sources of inspiration for me. Beyond the charm of the museum, the exhibition was significant because it gave me the opportunity to codify the work I had done up to that point.

PUBLIC WORKS AND THE ‘HOURGLASS’

‘Clepsydra (meaning hourglass) – Between Earth and Sky, in front of Larnaka Airport is perhaps one of my most visible works in Cyprus. I remember working with exhausting intensity during that period. In the Hourglass, I incorporated fragments of ancient heads and metal cones pointing toward the sky and the earth. In between, archaeological references mark the human footprint – the passage.

LIFE BETWEEN CYPRUS AND PARIS

Since 1996, I’ve maintained a studio in Paris, but Cyprus remains my base. When I stay away for more than a month, I feel that something is missing and I want to return. The same happens in reverse. In Cyprus, I have practicality: I can find a carpenter, a metalworker, materials, and be back in the studio in half an hour – a kind of retreat for preparing my new artistic ventures. In Paris, you can lose half a day just looking for a screw. But there, you feel the air of freedom and the power of creativity in a metropolis.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

The French state honoured me by awarding me the title of Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. Since the early ’90s, the French have followed my work and cultural activity. They judged that my contribution between the two countries was positive and granted me this distinguished honour, for which I am truly grateful.