Vodolas 07, 2007

From the 1960s, Michalis Katzourakis created works which belong within the framework of geometrical abstraction, with emphasis on strong colours, while subsequently his explorations turned towards the application of soft, light-coloured shades. His compositions combine entities which are based on the relations between lines, patterns, and planes and call forth emotions through a search for the notional framework of his works. The influences upon him, because of his frequent trips all over the world, are derived from the American painting of the 1960s and then from European lyrical abstraction artists. His experimentations advanced to include research in relation to materials such as sailcloth, tufa, wood, metal sheeting, metals, plywood, corrugated iron, metal mesh, aluminium, pipes, light bulbs, bricks, metal rods, etc. That he is striving to create a visual image which is formed by the encounter between patterns and materials is obvious. His concern with the industrial material of the productive activity of the modern world bears witness to a knowledge of the properties of the simple, cheap materials which contribute to the creation of visual stimuli and reflections on the relation between life and art in the modern age. A dominant feature in his art are mathematical relations and geometrical lines with a simple, elementary structure.
From the 1970s, he was creating large-scale sculptures which he has integrated, following study and research, into public spaces in Greece and abroad. These creations, frequently of monumental proportions, are marked by a minimalist formulation, simplicity of design, harmony through their dynamism, and, by the simple plasticity of their structure, a mild alteration of the surrounding area.