NIF24_#The Poet- ΑΦΙΕΡΩΜΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΠΟΙΗΤΗ

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The sculptor Costas Varotsos himself and Despina Katsantoni will recite poems, accompanied by Savvas Savvas on composition - piano and Robertas Grod on cello. Poems by Constantine P. Cavafy, George Seferis, Nikiforos Vrettakos, Kostas Montis, Kyriakos Charalambides, Michalis Pasiardis, Nikos Orphanidis, Mona Savvidou-Theodoulou and Daphne Nikitas will be performed. The concert features the "Adult Choir Anthi Papafilippou".

Poetry Moves International Festival is a multi-thematic arts festival with a clear structure. Its core is poetry, which is in dialogue with other arts such as music, dance, song, image, to expand the field of artistic action and innovative creation. The festival, in this year's edition, has chosen world poetry under the theme "Windows". Windows as motifs and sources of light, as hope, contemplation or melancholy, symbolize protection, isolation and openness at the same time. The Festival is under the auspices of the Nicosia Municipality.

Costas Varotsos

Costas Varotsos was born in Athens in 1955. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Rome and at the School of Architecture in Pescara, Italy. He is a member of the Engelberg Academy in Switzerland. His works of art can be found in public spaces in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Egypt and the USA. His desire is for his works to be in direct relation to the natural environment in which they are exhibited, always seeking a way of osmosis with the space.

He has held many personal and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad and has received many awards. In fact, in 2014 he was awarded the Cavaliere de la Republica Italiana by the President of the Italian Republic for his contribution to the Italian arts and in 2017 he was awarded the Order of Merit Medal by the President of the Hellenic Republic.

Since 1999 he has been a professor at the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he teaches Visual Arts at the School of Architecture.

As part of the event, the sculptor Kostas Varotsos will give a lecture entitled: "Art: nature, urban space, history". The lecture is co-organized by Nicosia 2030, candidate city for the European Capital of Culture and Frederick University. The event will take place on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 11 am, at the Tassos Papadopoulos Seminar Hall, in the new wing of Frederick University (7 Yannis Frederikou, Pallouriotissa, 1036, Nicosia). Kostas Varotsos' lecture is part of the Parallel Programme of the Nicosia 2024 International Festival. The lecture will also include a screening of the artist's sculptures with works from around the world and a discussion on the role of art in relation to nature, urban space and the history of cities. To register for the lecture:

https://forms.gle/pGWN9tgQy53SuBHA9

"The Poet"

In 1983, at the age of 28, Costas Varotsos created "The Poet" at the urging of the collector Dakis Ioannou, who financed it and donated it to the city of Nicosia. The artist had said that at the time he read a lot of poetry and thought it was the most concentrated form of artistic expression. "What is a poet?" he asked. "A transparent, fragile, abstract, complex, sharp being. So, I came up with the idea of glass. And miraculously I was spared and not killed while I was making it in Nicosia. Now I have technology as my ally," he notes.

The piece is considered one of his most important works, as it is a precursor to the legendary "Runner", which was first placed in Omonia and then across the street from the Hilton Hotel in Athens. It is the work in glass with which the uniqueness of the Greek sculptor's work was internationally recognised.

Tickets: Free admission.

For information: 22797979 (Monday - Friday 10:00-13:00).

Nicosia International Festival Nicosia 2024 Identity

Organizers: Nicosia Municipality, Nicosia For Art

Institutional Sponsor: Ministry of Culture, Republic of Cyprus

Duration: 60΄