Christos Mandzios - between Poland and Greece

Abstract

The work of Christos Mandzios, a Greek born and resident in Poland, although formally diverse, multithreaded, going beyond traditional media, disciplines and means of artistic expression, is related to the tradition of (ancient) Greek art, especially in the sense of understanding the essence of all creative activities in terms of Truth and Beauty. What can be considered a reminiscence of that bond is the presence of the human figure, taking the shape of an “anthropoid” (according to the artist’s definition), as if derived from pre-archaic times, from Cycladic or Mycenaean Bronze Age idols. Made of various materials - granite, bronze, wrapping paper, glass, bread, fire, earth, grain, grass, the “matter” of light and shadow - it becomes a carrier of existential, religious, spiritual and sometimes political meanings. In addition to permanent and ephemeral works, the sculptor undertakes para-artistic activities, usually in places marked by homelessness: in an orphanage, a prison, the Monar addiction rehabilitation centre, the Wrocław-Główny Railway Station. Apart from the series of works and performative activities entitled Realizacje Paschalne [Paschal Works], related to the symbolism and rituals of the Holy Week, the paper analyses the cycle Zjawiska Świetlne [Light Phenomena], varied in artistic means and related to the metaphysics of light. Particular attention is paid to the happenings: Wypalanie – Brama [Burning out – Gate] and Ślady [Traces], performed on the walls of Prison No. 1 in Wrocław on 11th November 1997. On the one hand, the sculptor shows a strong inclination towards formal experiments, towards constantly transgressing the boundaries of art, to functioning at the boundary of various artistic disciplines; on the other hand, he consistently treats a significant part of his oeuvre as a medium of other, non-formal values, grounded in the transcendentals of classical Christian metaphysics.