Monday, June 27, 2011

Beware of Greeks Bearing Books


"My art is inspired by the death of the printed word.  Books and
newspapers are becoming artifacts of the 21st century.  As a society
we're shifting away from print consumption and heading straight
towards full digital lives."  Nick Georgiou

When Nick Georgiou saw his entire music and film collection absorbed into his computer and starting getting his news online, he realized that people's interaction with paper was becoming very different.  He became obsessed with the immediacy of media.




His work is not only about the decline of the printed word, but also its rebirth as art.  He claims his art is essentially about renewal.  He puts old books and newspapers to good use by crafting them into 3D sculptures and framed wall art.





Born in Queens in 1980, six years after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, he was one of six kids born to a Cypriot father and a mother whose family came from Smyrna.  He has been working on solo exhibitions for Cyprus and Greece.  He has also been making a documentary on the decline of the printed word.




He has been living in Tucson, Arizona, for the last couple of years, but began his career as an artist on the streets of New York City.  There he placed his work in random locations - on street corners and next to lamp posts.




He loves public art and felt as an artist it was his job to break through to another reality.  He liked to watch public reactions to his placements and photograph them. Now he likes to see which of his images becomes popular, and why:

"It's amazing to be able to witness an image go viral and dissect
what makes it universal/what breaks down cultural/language barriers."



He has a website where he posts his latest creations and thoughts.  Cerebral art from a cerebral mind...

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All images courtesy of his website.
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