Giannis Papanikolaou

Giannis Papanikolaou was born in Athens in 1945 to a father from Roumeli and a mother from Andros. He became a successful apartment building constructor in 1972, a career he paused upon his appointment to the municipality of Petroupoli. In 1982, he closed his Technical Office, became a resident of Petroupoli, and expressed his innate inclination towards art by transforming the city's public spaces. He played a key role in the efforts of the Director of the Municipality's Technical Service, Takis Papadopoulos, to realize Minos Volanakis's vision of converting the city's large quarry into a theater. In 1983, during the inauguration, the unique sound of the Petra Theater's rocks resonated with Sophocles' words from "Antigone," directed by M. Volanakis, with guests including the then Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, invited by the then Minister of Culture M. Mercouri. That year, the theater was also honored by the visit of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The theater's development continued with preparations for the Bolshoi performances in 1984 and the historic 1986 performances by renowned European directors Brook with the Indian drama "Mahabharata" and Stein with Aeschylus's "Oresteia." In 1996, following a Municipal Council decision, the municipality's technical service constructed the modern Petra Theater, a project by Takis Papadopoulos, Giannis Papanikolaou, and contractor Agis Panagiotou. Regarding its aesthetics and acoustics, M. Pitellis, a special advisor to the Ministry of Culture for Theaters, remarked, "If the Polytechnic wants to study open theater construction, it should come and see the Petra Theater," while E. Tzekakis, a professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, stated that "the acoustics of the Petra Theater approach those of ancient theaters." Giannis learned the art of ceramics from ceramist Eleni Kelperi, who recognized his broad education and persistence in the research required by this intricate art with its infinite varieties and peculiarities. He debuted as a ceramist at the Panhellenic exhibition in Maroussi in 1992, with subsequent appearances in 1995, 2007, and 2008. He was awarded at the 30th visual arts exhibition of the "Parnassos" Literary Society. Since 2006, he has been teaching ceramics at the clay workshop of the Municipality of Petroupoli, aspiring to transform it into a school. He believes that Greek ceramic art is "a unique phenomenon that has offered an incredible wealth of themes and elements unmatched by any foreign art" and strives to prove this through his writing.