In 1968, Takis received a researcher’s scholarship from the Centre of Advanced Visual Studies of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), as a visiting researcher; during his practical training he studied liquids hovering under the influence of hydromagnetic forces and was inspired to create a series of hydromagnetic and electromagnetic sculptures.
The work Sea Oscillation, 1979, has a direct connection to the evolution of the work Sea Oscillation Hydrodynamics, which dates from this earlier period and was based on the idea of the use of sea oscillation for the production of electrical energy.
The internationally renowned sculptor Panayiotis Vassilakis, known by the pseudonym Takis, was born in Athens in 1925. Self-taught by conviction, he established himself as a kinetic art innovator. Through his works he managed to create an unbreakable connection between art and science, combing in his sculpture elements of both nature and physics.
His childhood and early adolescence were marked by the war, the German occupation and Greek civil conflict. Aged around 20, he created his first sculptures inspired by the ancient Greek civilisation but also by sculptures by Picasso and Giacometti. He arrived in Paris in 1954 and joined Brâncuşi’s studio for a few months, while over the next three years or so he travelled and lived between Paris and London and was inspired to create his first kinetic works.
A multifaceted and inventive artist, he studied hydrodynamic energy and became involved in creating hydromagnetic and electromagnetic sculptures. He experimented with all the environmental and natural elements which often cannot be detected with the naked eye, such as magnetic forces and the forces of magnetic fields, founding elements of his artistic oeuvre.
Works by Takis are exhibited in permanent collections and museums throughout the world, including the Centre George Pompidou, the Palais de Tokyo, the Jeu de Paume in Paris, the ΜoΜΑ and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Menil Collection in Houston, the Tate Modern in London, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.
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