Antiqua presents COCHLEA, an exhibition dedicated to the Greek artist Kostas Paniaras (1934-2018). The project, created in collaboration with the Kostas Paniaras Archive and the artist’s family, presents a selection of his early works from the 1960’s and two sculptural-unique tables, from the 1980’s & 1990’s. The exhibition draws its title from the word “cochlea” (Greek: κοχλίας), a term with which the artist used to define his, infinite, labyrinth shaped, elliptical sculptures made of hand-painted PVC, which in due time evolved into the design of the tables.
To accompany Paniaras’ furniture, paintings and sculptures, Antiqua selected a range of lighting fixtures by Gino Sarfatti (1912-1985), one of Italy’s most prominent figures of lighting design. During his career, Sarfatti designed a vast variety of lighting through his Milan based company Arteluce, receiving numerous international awards and collaborating with many major architects of the time. The main theme of the installation is to highlight Kostas Paniaras’ artistic research on the connection between matter and space, and to promote his creative expression within the collectible design context, in relation to the Gallery’s aesthetics and vision.