Christodoulos Panayiotou wins the 4th Deste Prize 2005
4th DESTE Prize 2005
Deste Foundation, Centre for Contemporary Art
8, Omirou street
154 51 Athens, Greece
tel: 30 210 67 29 460
fax: 30 210 67 29 470
info [at] deste.gr
Christodoulos Panayiotou, Truly, 2005, Video installation. Photo: © Panos Kokkinias.
The DESTE Foundation, Centre for Contemporary Art is delighted to announce that the winner of the 4th DESTE Prize 2005 is CHRISTODOULOS PANAYIOTOU.
The Deste Prize of 10.000, was presented to the artist by Dimitris Kondominas, President of the Interamerican Group, at a special event at the Foundations premises on the evening of 19th September 2005.The five other short listed artists were Dora Economou, Dimitris Foutris, Poka-Yio, Stefanos Tsivopoulos and Kostis Velonis.
The work of all six artists is on display at the DESTE Foundation Centre for Contemporary Art from 19th May until 27th October.
According to the statement of the 4th Deste Prize Jury Committee:
«Christodoulos Panayiotou is an artist who incisively explores the complex interconnections between our most innate desires and their cultural constructions. From fighter planes and fireworks to yesterdays confetti and songs whose lyrics we are almost embarrassed to know by heart, Panayiotou crafts concise videos, objects and ephemeral situations that reveal a playful wit and an eye for the sex appeal and abstract beauty of our everyday world. At once ironic yet tender, analytic but deeply felt, his work is that of a savvy cultural consumer who is not afraid every now and then to fall for the very romantic myths and pop productions he so deftly probes.»
Panayiotou, born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1978. He has had a number of solo shows, including Anthem, 5th Contemporary Dance Platform, Rialto Theatre, Limassol (2005), Forever is gonna start tonight, Medieval Castle of Limassol, Limassol, You make me feel brand new, Archimede Staffolini Gallery, (Hi-Lite 5), Nicosia (2004).
Group exhibitions include Sunday, Accidental Meetings, Nicosia Municipal Arts Center, Nicosia (2005), Hug Me, Hyperlinks, Evagoras and Kathleen Lanitis Foundation, Limassol, Bodyworks, Nicosia Municipal Arts Center, Nicosia, Miss you, ArtAthina 2004, Kappatos Gallery, Athens (2004)
The Deste Prize was established in 1999 as part of the Foundations policy of supporting and promoting contemporary art in Greece and is awarded every two years to a Greek artist living and working either in Greece or abroad. Through this prize, Deste hopes to endorse the spirit of exploration, ingenuity and ambition so essential to the Foundations mission and to the vitality of contemporary art.
Previous winners have been Panayota Tzamourani, (1999), Georgia Sagri, (2001) and Maria Papadimitriou, (2003).
The exhibition of the 4th Deste Prize also marks the closing of Deste´s first permanent site in Neo Psychico, which was inaugurated in May 1998, as the Foundation will be moving to its new space in Nea Ionia at the end of the year.
The 4th Deste Prize is sponsored by Cosmoline, a member of the INTERAMERICAN Group of Companies, which has through its President, Mr. Dimitris Kondominas, offered continual support to this institution.
ALPHA Television Network, a member of the same Group, is the Prizes Communications Sponsor.
