Ritual of Explosion

Costis Triantafyllou was born in 1950 in Athens. In 1968-72 he studied Political Science at the National University of Athens and from 1972-76 he continued his studies at the Universite Paris VIII, at the Department of Cinema and Fine Arts. He completed his studies at the level of Doctorat d'Etat with Jean-Francois Lyotard. From 1974 to 1976, he was honorary professor at the Universite Paris VIII in the Philosophy-Psychoanalysis Department, under the direction of F. Chatelet. His artistic activities are varied: he directed films (Saga of a city), was editor of the magazines Lotus (1968-72) and Praxis (1972) and writes poetry. Since 1975, he has carried out many actions. He has presented his art work in solo exhibitions in Greece, France, Italy and Belgium. He has participated in more than a hundred group exhibitions in Europe, the USA and Asia. From 1976 to 1986 he presented the Mediassemblage series in four solo exhibitions. In the period that followed until 1989, he was inspired by ancient Greek mythology and created the series Labyrinth or the Empty Monument (Gallery of the Municipality of Nafplio, French Institute of Athens 1989) and Wings of Daedalus (Opsis Gallery, Mykonos 1989). In these exhibitions, Triantafyllou traces the primary sources of energy that direct earthly life and human creation. In 1989 Triantafyllou used modern electronic technology, with which he was already familiar from his involvement with cinema, to produce high-voltage lightning bolts and create wall works and environments. In 1995, a year of recognition for the artist, retrospective exhibitions of his work were organised, Thessaloniki and then presented in the context of the Festival of Science at the Maison de la culture de la Loire-Atlantique in Nantes. P. Restany describes these creations as energy sculpture, because they are electronic miniatures of the natural phenomenon. The works activate the viewer's senses, as the lightning is first audible and then visible.