Yayiannos Apostolos

Apostolos Yayiannos was born in Tripoli in 1945. In 1960, he moved to Athens and studied Graphic Arts at the Athens Technological Institute of K. Doxiadis (ATI), with teachers such as A. Tasso, I. Dekoulakos, and D. Mytaras. In 1968, he founded and managed the Applied Arts Workshop “Morphe,” and from 1971 to 1973, he continued his studies at the painting workshop of Ilias Dekoulakos. A year later, he left the Applied Arts and dedicated himself to painting.

He has held more than 50 solo and group exhibitions abroad, and his work has been presented at many international art fairs. His artworks are part of collections in the National Gallery, the Ministry of Culture, and in public and private museums and private collections in Greece and abroad. His themes are drawn from everyday life and current affairs, commenting on the past by utilizing the styles of pop art and abstraction. His subject matter includes plants, animals, and flowers, which he depicts either individually or incorporates into urban landscapes, presenting them as symbolic elements. He has also engaged in installations, folklore, and poetry, illustrated books, and published literary texts. In 2003, he released his novel “Good Bye Forever.”

The two works of his that are part of the Municipality of Tripoli’s collection were donated by the artist on the occasion of the “Portraits of Kolokotronis” exhibition in 2015. As he himself states, “In the works, fragments and elements from ancient Greece are depicted within a new urban landscape, presenting an Greek reality that is in danger.” The use of dark colors evokes a sense of fear in the viewer, which is replaced by optimism, as he sees Kolokotronis extending his hand forward, toward the battlefield, urging the viewer to follow him. Additionally, he draws on his love for animals, incorporating hunting dogs as an allegorical element in his work to symbolize the protection of Greece and its history.