The Athens Printmaking Art Center – Pandolfini & Siaterli C.N.P.P., presents the second part of the modular etching exhibition “The etchings of Alekos Fassianos: Athens Printmaking Art Centre 1979-2008”, which opens up on Friday, 2 February from 18.30 to 22.30 at the ETCH INK art space.

Following the successful presentation of the first part of the exhibition that took place in the previous months at ETCH INK art space, the second part introduces the etchings of Alekos Fassianos created during the period 1988-2008. Through two consecutive and integral parts, this tribute exhibition programme, launched in December 2023, aims to present the artist’s entire body of etchings, created and printed in collaboration with the studio of the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI from 1979 to 2008.

Alekos Fassianos’ first encounter with the Athens Printmaking Art Center and the artists Pino Pandolfini and Dimitra Siaterli back in 1978 resulted in a long-term collaboration and friendship. From the mid-1980s onwards, the artist’s printmaking work would reach its highest point, with large-scale colour etchings and the artist’s further exploration of the challenges of the printing medium. The edition of the majority of etchings presented in the exhibition was initiated by the Zoumboulakis Gallery, but also other international and local organisations, as well as by the Athens Printmaking Center.

In addition to painting, he was extensively involved in printmaking, illustration and scenography, while also having great experience in poster making. As Art Historian and curator Elli Leventaki points out: “These aspirations, as well as his interest in Japanese art, testify to his need for a minimalist aesthetic with intense textures and the dominant element of line, making engraving perhaps the most appropriate medium for expression and experimentation. Despite his preoccupation with techniques such as lithography, linoleum, and screen printing, etching allowed him to work with the speed and intensity he desired, as he did in painting. The rapid drawing that leaves no room for error, as in the case of drypoint, unleashes all the artist’s “power of the first stroke”, which for him was invaluable, as he believed that “it cannot be repeated”. By choosing such techniques, he reinforced the gestural character of his work, making it both central to the structure and essential to the highlighting of the content.”

The first etchings of Alekos Fassianos produced in collaboration with the Athens Printmaking Art Center date back to 1979, motivating a meaningful and long-term partnership that continued until 2008. During this period, Alekos Fassianos created approximately ninety high-quality, original etchings in total. This tribute exhibition is the first consistent and systematic effort to document and present the artist’s corpus of etchings, after his death in 2022, and unravels through a curated exhibition at the ETCH INK art space, a limited-edition catalogue, and a screening of a documentary film from the archive of the Athens Printmaking Art Centre, directed by Nikos Anagnostopoulos.

This cultural programme, running until the end of February at ETCH INK art space, aims to shed light on the multifaceted work of the artist by demonstrating his unique talent in expressing himself and creating through the art of printmaking, with which he consistently worked throughout his remarkable artistic career.

Catalogue and exhibition text are curated by Art Historian & curator Elli Leventaki.

The publication includes additional contributions featuring a welcome note by Viktoria Fassianou, as well as texts by the artists Dimitra Siaterli and Pino Pandolfini, illuminating aspects of Alekos Fassianos’s work and their creative collaboration over the years.

The exhibition “The etchings of Alekos Fassianos: Athens Printmaking Art Centre 1979-2008” is organised under the auspices and the financial support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

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ETCH INK art space

Argyroupoleos 16, Lycabettus, Athens

Opening: Friday 2nd February 2024, 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Dates: 3-24 February 2024

Opening hours: Wednesday – Thursday – Friday 5pm – 9pm & Saturday 11am – 3pm

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