Iakovos Volkov: September 2023

Friday, September 15, 2023

my part for Art Athina

At Zappeio from 14- 18 September

There is No Place Like Home ( Santorini ) on going series, found sponges on wood, 97x67x6cm 2023

Upon the Burning of Our House, found sponges on wood, 82x82cm. 1/3 + 1ΑΡ 2023

Man on Earth, on going series, plastic food wraps, plastic bags and silicone tubes on laminated map Greece 89x120cm 2023

about this diary

I started painting graffiti on walls when I was 15 and living in Thessaloniki. Over time, my thoughts about art evolved. I began creating installations in deteriorating areas of the city, mainly in abandoned factories. Since moving to Athens in 2014, I have frequently been invited to participate in gallery and museum exhibitions. For these venues I created sculptures that were site specific, independent freestanding works or pieces that could be installed on a gallery wall.

Primarily I work with discarded things - plastic, clothes, textiles and everyday items are my basic materials nowadays. I see value in things overlooked by others. Flowing from my history as a graffiti artist, I began building word sculptures. More recently I have also explored working abstractly, building objects and installations focused on composition and materials.

I deeply feel one can create meaningful work from small, ordinary things found abandoned on the street. Carefully observing my environment and experimenting with discovered materials, I construct meaning from the discarded, meticulously reconfiguring what society has worn out and broken. I restore life into forgotten places with what I have saved, giving a reason to consider places no longer noticed. For me, this work is essential.