BRISTOL.- Yorgos Sapountzis will create an imaginary park of public sculptures in the galleries of Arnolfini. The artist often takes public monuments as his starting point – objects that represent parts of the collective memory, such as equestrian sculptures on prominent public squares, but also form the everyday experience of a city. These sculptures become protagonists of Sapountzis’ own performances and sculptural works. Developed in collaboration with local actors and groups, including Young Arnolfini, his works explore the symbolic energy and presence of these monuments, and involve them in theatrical actions and temporary installations.

The gallery space becomes a space between theatre and reality -­‐ with visitors as its protagonists. The exhibition will include a series of works that result from these outdoor productions. With simple materials, such as fabric in bright primary colours and metal sheets and tubes, the artist constructs large-­‐scale installations, fabricated with collaborators working alongside the artist. Referencing public sculptures symbolically, as well as literally with casts and images, the exhibition will create a different idea of public space and of our body’s relationship to the space.

The exhibition will include sound works produced in collaboration with the Norwegian
musician Øyvind Torvund. During the opening weekend, a series of concerts with Torvund and others will take place in the galleries.

Yorgos Sapountzis (b. 1976 in Athens, Greece), lives and works in Berlin and Athens. Recent solo exhibitions include Overgaden in Kopenhagen, the Ursula Blickle Foundation in Kraichtal near Stuttgart, Freymond-­‐Guth Fine Arts in Zurich, Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery, Berlin and Simone Subal Gallery, New York. He has participated in group shows at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, at Lismore Castle Arts in Lismore, Ireland (curated by Mark Sladen), and Kunsthaus Bregenz (curated by Yilmaz Dziewior, all 2013). He has forthcoming solo exhibitions at Kunsthaus Glarus in Switzerland and Kunsthalle Lingen, Germany. Additionally, he worked as a set designer and director for theatre projects.