On Cloud Seven Brochure

“On Cloud Seven”
a solo exhibition
by
Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis
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presented
by the
Embassy of Greece to Australia
in cooperation with the
Consulate of Greece in Perth
to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Sister City
Relationship between Perth and Kastellorizo
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Catalogue
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6-14 June 2014
Perth Town Hall Foyer
The artist is opening the 20 L high-temperature supercritical drying reactor after a
48 h run. The vessel was installed in Greece, September 2005, and all the
aerosculptures are created since then in it (photograph and copyright: Massimo
Pizzocaro 2/2008).
Perth, 26 May 2014
Message from the Lord Mayor of Perth
On behalf of the City of Perth it is an honour to host the “On Cloud Seven”
exhibition of Dr Ioannis Michaloudis, an outstanding Greek - Australian artist in
cooperation with the Embassy of Greece to Australia and the Greek
Consulate in Perth. It is particularly poignant during the 30th anniversary year
of the sister city relationship between Kastellorizo and Perth. Dr Ioannis
Michaloudis's exhibition will resonate with those who view it. I recognise the
positive impact his artwork will have on not only in the international stage but
especially here in Western Australia.
The Sister City relationship with Kastellorizo is one of the longest in Perth. This
relationship was built initially on migration but more recently on social and
cultural links while fostering international goodwill and tourism between the
many generations of descendants of these early migrants. The City's former
Lord Mayor Mick Michael himself a Greek of Kastellorizian origin instigated this
sister city relationship in 1984.
It is estimated that there are thousands of residents with Kastellorizian
ancestry living in Western Australia. The City of Perth is proud of its role in
assisting to keep its Kastellorizian residents, with ancestry and connections,
informed about cultural traditions that are part of their heritage. This sister city
partnership has been energised in recent years with the establishment of an
annual reciprocal student exchange program with the community
organisation; the Australian Friends of Kastellorizo. This program has been a
huge success allowing students to immersing themselves in their cultural
heritage through language, educational and cultural programs.
This “On Cloud Seven” exhibition provides an opportunity to further
engage with our local Greek community as well as to showcase the talents of
Dr Ioannis Michaloudis to the greater Perth community and coincides with
the official visit to Western Australia of Their Excellencies the Ambassador of
Greece Mr. Haris Dafaranos and Mrs. Eva T. Dafaranos, who has curated this
wonderful exhibition, designed and prepared artistically the brochure at
hand.
Dr.Lisa Scaffidi
Lord Mayor
Canberra, 26 May 2014
Message from the Ambassador of Greece to Australia
It gives me great pleasure to felicitate you all on the occasion of
the 30th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Perth and
Kastellorizo, a milestone of particular significance coinciding with our
official visit to Western Australia.
Eva and I wish wholeheartedly to congratulate Dr. Ioannis
Michaloudis for the artistry of the works of the solo exhibition “On Cloud
Seven” he so kindly agreed to display honouring the historic occasion. A
Greek – Australian cultural expression of the dynamism and the
aesthetics of this segment of the Greek presence in Australia.
This is a major cultural event which promotes in terms of artistry and
excellence the Greek – Australian Community of Western Australia and
is an expression of the esteem and appreciation from the part of the
Embassy to the Greeks and Australians of Perth. We hope to have the
opportunity to organise more cultural events cooperating with you in
the near future.
Haris D. Dafaranos
Ambassador
Canberra, 26 May 2014
Message from the Curator of the exhibition
For the Ancient Greeks, science is the quest for truth as well as
knowledge and art is the human effort to imitate the divine.
It was not, consequently, a surprise to me when an eminent Greek –
Australian artist, researcher and lecturer agreed to present a variety of
his works where art and science collide in the “On Cloud Seven”
exhibition presented to you at the Foyer of the Perth Town Hall.
A charismatic and most talented mind like that of Dr. Ioannis
Michaloudis expands the horizons of our aesthetics through the
pioneering artistic use of silica aerogel.
Ioannis’ motivation for all his artwork and research derives from his
deep sentiments for the preservation of the environment. He feels
strongly about the sky, the “last layer of Earth”, as he says emphatically,
“which, being the breath of our planet, is in real danger”. Every
sculpture of his, each one of his research papers are expressing the
need for attention towards our wounded sky.
Silica aerogel has in the hands of Ioannis unique aeshetics and
visual qualities expressing in the best possible way the blue and orange
tints of our sky because of their nanostructure. Silica aerogel is indeed
an ethereal and beautifull material, an avant-guarde product of our
space era used by NASA to catch stardust. In the hands of Dr.
Michaloudis is the artistic means to remind us of the sky element while in
space. A futuristic element with so much ancestral and perennial
beauty.
I was very happy to cooperate with Dr. Michaloudis in curating this
exhibition and I strongly felt his advanced artistic charisma and the
beauty of his themes, where the hellenic spirit and the humanist angle
prevail.
It is an honour to have an artist of hellenic origin, of such a caliber,
in Western Australia.
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Art curator
Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis
BIO
Visual artist Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis was born in 1965, Anavra-Karditsas
and raised in Athens, Greece. Graduated in 1989 from the Faculty of Fine Arts
and Design (TEI of Athens), he continued his studies in Paris, where he
received a Master in Product Design from the Ecole Normale Superieure des
Arts Décoratifs. In 1992 he raised his Master's degree in Visual Arts from
Sorbonne University. In the same university he completed his Doctorate
research in 1998, where Dr. Michaloudis develops his thesis on the “elastic
arts” by analyzing the relationship between visual and applied arts, through
the presentation of his works of land art and in situ projects. From 2001 to 2003
he carried out a postdoctoral research in Massachusetts Institute of
Technology on the (Nephele)3, the Cubed Cloud project. In MIT, Michaloudis
met silica aerogel, a nanomaterial used by NASA to collect stardust. For the
reason that this ethereal material looks like our threatened sky, Michaloudis
transferred it -worldwide first- in Art and Design.
Dr. Michaloudis had received fellowships from the Greek government
(IKY), the Leventis, Kostopoulos, A.S. Onassis Foundations and the University of
Sorbonne. Has been awarded by the Dean of Arts at MIT, the MIT Arts Council
and the Dean MIT School of Architecture. In 2001 he was awarded the
“Fulbright Price for Greek Artists”. In 2007 he won the “Golden Lighthouse” in
the XXIV Biennial of Alexandria, Egypt. Artworks of Michaloudis are in private
and public collections such as the A.S Onassis Foundation. He realized
projects in Greece and France such as In the Circulation of Red Trees, in City
University of Paris. In November 2012 he had participated at “The
Art&Science International Exhibition and Symposium” in Science and
Technology Museum in Beijing, China. In November 2013 he had presented
his interactive installation Talking with the Rusted Cloud in Siggraph Asia 2013.
He is married to the cellist Mariliza Papadouri and has two daughters,
Teresa and Romylia. Since July 2012 they live in Mount Pleasant, Western
Australia, where Dr. Michaloudis has a Teaching & Research position in the
School of Design and Art (SoDA), Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University.
website: http://www.michalous.com
portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michalous/
paper: http://www.olats.org/space/13avril/2005/te_iMichaloudis.html
contact: michalou@alum.mit.edu
address: 2A, David street, Mount Pleasant, 6153 WA
ART & SCIENCE EXHIBITIONS
SOLO
2010
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2003
1995
1994
Sky on sale, Gallery Ionos, Mars 20 – April 20, Karditsa, Greece, EU
( )topia, Aithousa Technis Athinon, January 26 – February 25, Greece, EU
http://www.athensartgallery.gr/artists/michaloudis/topia/press-release.html
Athens’ Soul, Telecommunications’ Museum, Mars 23-26, St. Petersburg, Russia.
1 aer( )sculptures, October 3-21,2006, Museum of Cycladic Art, Greece, EU,
http://www.cycladic.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=resource&cresrc=99&
cnode=77&clang=0
First International Astronautical Academy’s (IAA) International Conference,
“Impact of Space on Society”, Mars 16-19, 2005, Academy of Science,
Budapest, Hungary, EU
7th ESG Conference on Glass Science & Technology, April 25-28, 2004, Athens
Greece, EU
7th Intern.Symposium on Aerogels, November 2-5, Alexandria, VA, USA
(Nob)Odyssey's, theater installation, La Mama theater, New York, N.Y, U.S.A
(L)egaux & l’ego, retrospective, City University of Paris, France, EU
In the Circulation of Red Trees, project in situ, CIUP, France, EU
COLLECTIVE (selection)
2013 Design Shanghai 2013, Aesthetics City, Power Station of Art, Shanghai China,
3 Dec.
2013 till 30 Mar. 2014, interactive installation: “Touch Your Cloud”, invited artist
2013 6th ACM Siggraph Asia 2013, Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong,
China, 20-22 Nov. interactive installation: “Talking with the Rusted Cloud”
(peer reviewed), ACM ISBN: 978-1-4503-2511-0
2012 3rd International Art and Science International Exhibition and Symposium 2012,
China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing, China, Nov.2012, invited
artist, ISBN 978-7-112-14756-4
2011 Amber festival, Next ecology, Istambul, 4-13 November
2011 Kinetica Art Fair 2011, P3, London, England, EU
2010 A Fluxmuseum International Art Exhibition @
http://fluxfaceinspace.blogspot.com/2010/07/tis-michalous-65.html
2010 Terra Nova, Galerie Wedding, Berlin, Germany, EU
2009 A paler Shade of White, Found.Bellonia, Santorini, Greece, EU
2007 Trilogie Mediterraneenne, Athens, Marseille, Cairo, February to April, Palais des
Arts, Marseille, France, EU
2007 XXIV Alexandria’s Biennale of Art, Egypt.
2005 Space Art @ 56th International Astronautical Congress, IAC2005, October 16-21,
Fukuoka, Japan
2005 Space Artists: the Cultural Frontiers of Space Travel, SETI Institute, February 12,
Mountain View, CA, USA
2002 Sky Art conference 2002, European Cultural Center of Delphi & Icaria, Greece,
EU
2002 Pulses of Art, 17 artists scholars @ Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens,
Greece, EU
1999 Bonds of Art, 21 artists-scholars of the A.S.Onassis Foundation, Greece, EU.
1996 Salon de Jeune Peinture ’96, Espace Quai Branly, Paris, France, EU.
1994 Greek Painters & Sculptors in Paris, House of Europe, Paris, EU
1993 4th biennale of Academies of Visual Arts, Maastricht, Holland, EU
1992 Portrait of ENS. Arts Decos School, Museum of Monuments, Paris, France, EU
Musical Programme
Presentation of the artists performing
Cellist: Mrs Mariliza Papadouri
With postgraduate studies in Cello and Chamber Music, a degree
in Communication and Mass Media, she has had a rich and
diverse international carreer as cellist, musical composer and
artistic director of concerts. She has cooperated with eminent
Greek composers such as Christos Leontis, Stefanos Korkolis, Mikis
Theodorakis, Mimis Plessas, Thanassis Polykandriotis, Notis
Mavroudis, Elias Andriopoulos, Nikos Kypourgos and Stamatis
Kraounakis as well as with the singer Maria Farantouri.
Harpist: Mrs Michelle Smith
She gradually made her way to the harp after years of piano,
guitar and cello playing, writing original scores for independent
films which landed her a WAS nomination for “Best Original
Score”. She first received classical tuition with Brownyn Wallis and
had studies in Boston where she lived with and was mentored by
Deborah Henson – Conant, a Grammy Award nominated jazz
harpist and composer with worldwide recognition. She performed
twice with Deborah in the U.S. and attended rythm classes at the
Berkley College of Music.
Greek songs repertoire
(for harp and cello)
-
“Tzivaeri” ( a Greek traditional folk song on migration)
-
“Ferte mou ena mandolino” (bring me a mandolin),
music composed by Manos Hadjidakis
-
“Odos Oneiron” (Dream Street), music composed by
Manos Hadjidakis
-
“Magnus Eroticus”, music composed by Manos
Hadjidakis
-
“Gioconda’s Smile”, music composed by Manos
Hadjidakis
Holding with Dr. Steven Jones the model of the stardust trap.
Training at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory back in 2005. Photo by: Dan Goods.
Preparing the supercritical drying of silica aerogel
Training at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory back in 2005. Photo by: Dan Goods.
Presentation of Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis artworks
and
“His 23 aerosculptures in a poetic interpretation”
Haiku poetry by
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
(M)other Earth
Sky Aegis
silica aerogel, ready-made mannequin
hands, road painting, fabric, metal, acrylic
display box, 116x44x16, Athens 2011
bird cage, fabric silica aerogel, golden leaf,
22x12x13cm, Athens 2010
“Ready made mannequin hands holding
“(M)other Earth caged; her ethereal spirit
tender the Aegean Sky; Hellenic Spirit
prevails in the clear blue sky
inspiring the matter.”
dwells strong in the rhythmic silence of
her tormented body.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
There is No Smoke Without Fire
wood, silica aerogel, fabric,
aluminum, 30x30x5cm, Athens 2010
E(r )gonomia
silica aerogel, C-clamp, 60x60x10cm,
sand paper, acrylic display box,
Athens 2007
“Framed black and blue sky with a staircase;
“The human ego, the blue sky, the red
we felt the impact of the smoke on our
bodies …No reaction then …
Now, we have to be prepared for the
consequences of the fire …”
instrument; bow to the blue sky, abolish the red
instrument and the “I” ego, embrace the
divine nature and the “We”.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Sky-view
15 Bottled Skies
silica aerogel, golden
leaf, metal, fabric,
acrylic display box,
51x51x9cm, Athens 2011
silica aerogel, glass,
rubber, aluminum,
Athens 2008
“Round sky view; your higher self
“15 bottled skies of Love are being
created “in vitro”;
I can make you love me even if you don’t …”
admires from above the beautiful
sample of sky.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Double Nike
silica aerogel, slumped glass, tinted film, acrylic base,
68x26x6 cm, Athens-Perth, 2007-2014
“Double Nike and the angels walking in the crowd;
I saw an angel smiling at me …
He showed me the path and I followed ...”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Double Icarus
silica aerogel, slumped glass, tinted film, LED panel,
60x60x8cm, Perth, 2014
“Two shapes, two Icaruses;
One left wavering in the past,
the other dwells in the present in agony for the future.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Liquid Sky
silica aerogel, slumped glass, tinted film, 27x12x7cm, Perth 2014
“Two different skies, one blue and clear, black orange the other;
the abuse of nature continues unless Divine Providence stops us from
destroying the environment.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Liquid Cloud
silica aerogel, slumped glass, tinted film, 20x20x9cm,
Perth 2014
“Blue liquid cloud, orange black liquid cloud;
light and darkness, Life and death,
are an unending cycle directing human soul to eternity.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Cycladic Head 2
Cycladic Head
silica aerogel, brass, acrylic
display box, 20X20X6cm,
Athens 2006
“Wire on the face; the silent knowledge
of the beyond will show you the way.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
silica aerogel, acrylic
display box,
Athens 2006
“The wire on your face is your identity;
follow the marks of your destiny, the body of
life is your compass.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
- Icare, I care…
framed photo print, 90x88cm,
Alexandria, VA, 2003
Dove’s Soul
silica aerogel, wood,
byzantine golden leaf,
47x47x7cm, Athens 2009
“This time, Icarus used the right
“Black shadow of white dove and his soul;
material for his wings, silica aerogel;
we all have wings, but very few
of us use them.”
dove’s soul will keep the truth of your heart
immaculate.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Cycladic Idol 2
Cycladic Idol
silica aerogel, acrylic display
box, Athens, 2006
silica aerogel,
acrylic display box,
Athens, 2006
“Balancing into your past, the Cycladic Idol
“Mesmerising your future, the Cycladic Idol 2
emerges from the hidden sea of your ancestors
creating stoically your contemporary legacy.”
moves regally into the world beaming out the
grandeur of your ancestry, Hellas.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Black Cloud
wood, byzantine golden
leaf, silica aerogel,
aluminum, 35x25x8cm,
Athens 2012
silica aerogel, fabric,
iron, acrylic display
box, 47x47x7cm,
Athens 2011
“Dark abyss and the stairway to Heaven;
“Starry night and the reflection of the
frameless portrait engraved on the dark
corridors of your mind.”
stairway to black cloud; as long as
you are with me, I’m O.K.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Econographia
silica aerogel, metal,
wood, glass, acrylic,
50x39x8cm, Athens 2010
“The absolute faith;
on our knees we praise your All Holiness
with a hope for a miracle.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Mnemonic Ethanol
framed photo print,
91x69cm, Athens 2006
“Bubbles, memory, head;
In the perishable matter of the world we have
ephemeral memory, few dreams and rare
hopes, unless we change course of life to the
ethereal direction.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Erocycladic
Kore
photo print in
aluminum, 90x179cm,
Athens 2006
silica aerogel,
brass, iron,
190x70x25cm,
Athens 2008
“The shape of a musical instrument; it has
“Red colour in her innocent naked body;
the magic of Eros in every point of its figure.”
once upon a time, I fell in love with a divine
creature, beautiful as you.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
My First Time I Touch a Cloud
interactive video installation, silica aerogel,
candid camera, 2011
“My finger is touching the cloud;
it is the moment I felt the Godly side of my humanself.”
Eyvah T. Dafaranos
Acknowledgements
We wish to express our sincere thanks to:
-
the Perth Town Hall, the Lord Mayor Dr. Lisa Scaffidi and Counsellor
Mr. James Limnios for providing the Foyer Venue for the exhibition.
-
the Kastellorizian Association of Western Australia as well as to its
Chairman Mr. Alan Cresswell for the catering facilities provided.
-
Curtin University, Faculty of Humanities, for the provision of
an HD monitor.
-
Curtin University, School of Design and Art for their
collaboration.
-
Mr. George and Mrs. Marina Georgiou for assisting with the
printing of the catalogue of the exhibition.
-
Nikias Diamond Co Canberra for the hiring of the harpist as
well as for assisting with the plexiglass mounting of two
artistic works and with the special packaging of the
artworks of the exhibition.
- special thanks to Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis for presenting his artworks and to his
spouse Mrs. Mariliza Papadouri for playing the cello.
- to Mrs. Eva T. Dafaranos for curating the exhibition, for the artistic preparation
and supervision of the catalogue at hand, for the choices of the Greek Music
repertoire as well as for the Haiku poetry accompanying the artworks of Dr.
Ioannis Michaloudis entitled “His 23 aerosculptures in a poetic interpretation”.
- Mr. Konstantinos Koutsopoulos of the Embassy for the technical layout of the
Catalogue.
- Mrs. Marylin Tsolakis for being the MC at the opening event.
- the Consul of Greece in Perth Miss Sofia Choli for her kind assistance.
A piece of sky in between your fingers, In March 2004, invited as an Artist in
Residence by Dr. A. Venkateswara Rao at Shivaji Univerity, Maharastra, India,
during some experiments we made with Dr. Sharad Bhagat, we had arrived to
create the first cumulus cloud into a sample of silica aerogel. It was Sunday the
21st of March 2004 (photograph and copyright: MICHALOUS, 2004).
Perth Town Hall