Fikos: The Muralist
TEXT: ROMINA XYDA / PHOTOS: SILVIO AUGUSTO RUSMIGO
Combining Byzantine tradition with contemporary urban expression, Fikos unites two worlds in works that integrate organically into their surroundings and engage with each place’s history and identity.
At the age of ten, he began drawing Christian icons with coloured pencils, and by thirteen his parents enrolled him in a school of Byzantine painting. Despite the effort and time it demanded, the young Fikos felt deeply captivated – as though he had already found his path.
“My first revelation was the work of my teacher, Giorgos Kordis, who applied Byzantine style to non-ecclesiastical subjects. The second was a magnificent angel in the Church of Agios Athanasios Mouzaki in Kastoria. The beauty of this figure opened up a new world for me, making me realise the grandeur of Byzantine painting and leading me to study it more consciously.”
A little later, his engagement with graffiti emerged as a natural continuation of his artistic exploration. “For years, I practised both art forms until the idea emerged to bring them together, coining the term ‘Contemporary Byzantine Painting.’ My approach differs from the logic of imposition that often characterises street art. Rather than imposing myself on the city, as most street artists do, I seek to serve it, integrating my work organically into its surroundings. I learn about the history of the building or neighbourhood, which I then try to highlight through my work, and I generally choose colours that already exist in the area. I adapt myself to the mould of each wall, rather than the other way around.”
Today, Fikos lives and works in Nicosia where, as he notes, murals are treated with greater respect than in other cities. His main focus is on works on canvas, while he also remains active in a range of related fields, including book, product, and cover illustration, as well as ceramics. As for the future, he remains in constant motion: “There are so many things I want to do, so many ideas I want to explore, that I feel I am still at the very beginning.”
