The Mic pays homage to Panos Tsolakos, born in Greece but who became a symbol of Faenza art

On April 23, at 5.30 pm, in the Project Room the MIC Faenza, two days before what should have been its ninetieth birthday, inaugurates the exhibition “Panos Tsolakos, Faenza1960/2024” which displays the works belonging to the collection of the Faenza Museum. Tsolakos participated in the Faenza Prize several times, winning first prize in 1971 (in the photo) and coming second in 1964 and a selection of ceramics made by students of the IFTS – Faenza Ceramic Product Technician course 2022/23 with Panos Tsolakos during the lessons of technological laboratory and decoration with teachers Francesco Scocca, Marco Tadolini and with Aida Bertozzi.

The artistic, educational and cultural project conceived by Viola Emaldi opened last October with the presentation to the public of “Caleidos”, a modular work in permanent ceramic, installed on the wall, created with modules by Panos Tsolakos based on the compositional and chromatic project of the students of the Design Artistic High School, set up in the entrance hall in via San Nevolone of the Faenza Artistic High School, to which were added two conferences at ISIA Faenza held by the current teaching staff on the topic of stoneware during this academic year 2023/24 and It will end with an event at the end of the year at the Carlo Zauli Museum in Faenza where a small documentation publication of the entire project will be presented. The exhibition will remain on display until June 16, 2024.

Born in 1934 in Chalkis in Greece, Panos arrived in Faenza in 1960 with a scholarship and has never left the city since then, becoming a reference figure for contemporary ceramic sculpture, not only in the area. After having attended the Institute of Art for Ceramics and Carlo Zauli’s studio, his artistic research has always focused on stoneware as a material and on glazing techniques through the use of ashes and open flame which characterize his works. sculptures with flaming, thick enamel pouring and deformations. In 1964 he participated for the first time in the Faenza International Ceramics Competition, placing second. In 1971 he won the Faenza Prize and first prize at the Gualdo Tadino International Ceramics Competition. In 1972 his works were protagonists at the Venice Biennale.

In the same year, he began a long collaboration with Ceramica Iris designing the ‘Logos’ series of floor and wall tiles. Worth mentioning is the 2004 work, a third-fired stoneware and gold column created for the Athens Olympics, located in Maroussi. In the last years of his life he loved teaching and collaborating with students at the Liceo Artistico di Faenza and the IFTS. Some of his works are exhibited at the MIC in Faenza.

His latest work “Caleidos”, created with the students of the Liceo Artistico and ISIA Faenza in 2023, is set up in the entrance hall in via San Nevolone of the Liceo Artistico Faenza.