Giorgos Houliaras
about
Born in Ioannina in 1947, he studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1965-1970) under Yannis Pappas, from where he graduated having won the Nude award and other distinctions. He continued his studies on an EOEX scholarship in England (sculpture and pottery; West Surrey College, 1974-1975) and then in Paris (1975-1977), where he attended César’s sculpture workshop at the École des Beaux Arts and the pottery programme of the École Supérieure des Arts et Métiers.
In 1971 he founded the Pottery Club , aiming to organize open-air exhibitions and promote Contemporary Sculpting. He organized a number of great exhibitions in the area before the Athens Conservatory, in which he participated with large sculptures. Along with a team of sculptors, he organized periodic Sculpture symposiums in several cities in Greece, believing that it is the only way to raise sculptures in public places.
He presented his first solo exhibition of sculpture at Nees Morfes (1977). He uses materials which underscore the solidity of forms, such as stone (mainly limestone), cement, terracotta and metal. He creates sculptures and reliefs that usually start from the human figure, with a tendency towards formalisation that alludes to Greek folk art and archaic sculpture. Later he moved on to more abstract renderings while expanding his range of materials to include marble, bronze, steel, aluminium, iron, glass. The different qualities of each material become part of the sculptural creation.
He worked as professor of sculpture at ASFA (2001-2014). He also served as a Vice-rector at ASFA (2003-2006).
He presented his work in many solo and group exhibitions, often in outdoor venues. In 1980 he represented Greece in the Balkan Exhibition of Bucharest (honorary distinction) and in 1988 he took part in the small sculpture Biennale in Budapest. There have been two retrospectives of his work in Ioannina, in 1994 (Cultural Centre) and 2009 (Zossimea School).
During his many years of work, he has created monuments and sculptures for public places in Greece and abroad, such as Fetal medicine, King’s College, London, and the sculpture of “The Greek Immigrant” , Montreal. Canada. His last exhibit “Sculpture Sensations” was held in Evripides Art Gallery in February 2018.
