Nikos and Pandelis Sotiriades were born in Aghios Nikolaos of Crete. Their father, a
refugee from Black Sea, bequeathed to them his love for the metal and the
knowledge necessary for it’s elaboration. The two brothers, denying the pre-set route
of their university studies, receive their father’s heritage and put it into an amazing
journey; a heritage that originates to the copper utensils of Trebizond and, traveling
through time, it is presented nowadays in a modern and compound attire.
Although involved with sculpture from 1985, in 1993, Nikos and Pandelis Sotiriades
created their first tree of stainless steel. Then, the same year, a big event-installation
“Trees-Farewell” took place on the surface of Aghios Nikolaos lake, the first time of
water-born sculpture in Greece.
An artificial environment which will come to replace the natural one, after the hands
of man will have it destroyed, trees made of iron,
stainless steel, bronze, polyester, containing lamps and neon lights,
trees that look alive with their “eyes” lit in the
nights, ironically beautiful trees, trees awakening and warning us for the destruction
of the earth, trees reminding that man is not capable to recreate a truly functional
environment when this will be no longer existing.
After their exhibition “Masks & Figurines 1997 A.D.” in the Archeological Museum on
1997, Nikos and Pandelis Sotiriadis have worked a lot on the human figure, a popular
archetype ever since man gained consciousness of his being.
Following the ancient pro-Minoan tradition, as the three little statues called
“Apollonian Trinity” excavated in the province are, by the archeologists, the very first
samples of metallurgy and using their well known materials, various metals and
glass, the sculptors love to create human figures, mostly with their arms raised to the
skies, a totally emotional gesture that reveals the highest of spirits or an effort for
communication with the divine.
The “Totemic Figures”, first exposed in Elounda Beach Hotel, are a sequel of an
earlier sculpture titled “Plants”. Once more the divine is present, human being is
vulnerable, fragile, questing, trying to solve out the mystery of where we come from
and where we want to go.
The bronze “Dancer” is an innovation in their work, as it adds movement to the legs
of the figure, a direct reference to religious and festival dancing from prehistoric times
to our nowadays life.
A 6 m tall sculpture of theirs decorates the town of Aghios Nikolaos, named “Crete,
Maritime Land”. Made of forged bronze and glass, it is an excellent sample of
contemporary art , that builds a bridge between the ancient Cretan traditions and the
today’s life of a town that lives and activates by the sea. Very close to that, on the
small and beautiful beach of Kitroplatia, stands the Shower, one more creation of
theirs, proving that Art except of being something to look at, can also be something of
daily and common use.
♣
Nikos Sotiriades
Nikos Sotiriadis was born in Aghios Nikolaos of Crete in 1959.
His father, Haralambos Sotiriadis, originates from Kapikioy of Trebizond and was born in
Istanbul on 1923, while his mother, Irini Koutselaki, originates from Kalamafka of Ierapetra
in Crete and was born in 1936. Since his young age, with his brother Pandelis, grasp every
opportunity given to hang around their father workshop, where he passes to them all the
secrets of metals and their elaboration. Nikos finds particularly indulging the technique of
forging metal sheets. This craft was passed to their father Haralambos by his own father,
Nikos Sotiriadis, a blacksmith from Black Sea.
This way, when he finished high school, Nikos Sotiriadis was a master in elaborating several
materials and crafting various constructions and objects. On the parallel, all these years he
had been engaged with photography, participating in international contests, as well as
music, playing the trombone for the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra of Aghios Nikolaos,
from the age of ten. Next he studies electronic engineering in Heraclion, a subject he will
never get involved with in the future. After his studies, he joins the Greek army, where he
serves as a reservist officer until 1983. After his army duties, he chooses to commit to the art
he inherited from his father and not to what he had studied. His brother Pandelis took the
same decision and thus together they created a company that involves with the elaboration
of various materials, all kinds of metals especially. Their company’s subject is sculpture,
design and specialized construction.
The great journey in art with the individual -but also the participation in many groupexhibitions
has begun. In every place he is in, he visits regularly all kinds of the museums, the
archeological ones in particularly, because he considers museums as places with positive
vibes, but also as unique schools where people can study art so freely and intensively. He
has chosen to live and work in his birth place. He is married to Anna Papadaki- Sotiriades,
song composer and they have two children, Haralambos and Katerina. He has been member
and chairman in several councils of societies and associations, serving the common benefit.
♣
Pandelis Sotiriades
Pandelis Sotiriadis was born in Aghios Nikolaos of Crete in 1960.
His father, Haralambos Sotiriadis, originates from Kapikioy of Trebizond and was born in
Istanbul on 1923, while his mother, Irini Koutselaki, originates from Kalamafka of Ierapetra
in Crete and was born in 1936. Since his young age, with his brother Nikos, grasp every
opportunity given to hang around their father workshop, where he passes to them all the
secrets of metals and their elaboration. Pandelis finds particularly indulging the technique of
forging metal sheets. This craft was passed to their father Haralambos by his own father,
Nikos Sotiriadis, a blacksmith from Black Sea.
This way, when he finished high school, Pandelis Sotiriadis was a master in elaborating
several materials and crafting various constructions and objects. On the parallel, all these
years he had been engaged with music, playing the clarinet for the Municipal Philharmonic
Orchestra of Aghios Nikolaos, from the age of eleven.
Next he studies electronics in Athens, a subject he will never get involved with in the future.
After his studies, he joins the Greek army, where he serves as a reservist sergeant-major in
Cyprus until 1983. After his army duties, he chooses to commit to the art he inherited from
his father and not to what he had studied. His brother Nikos took the same decision and
thus together they created a company that involves with the elaboration of various
materials, all kinds of metals especially. Their company’s subject is sculpture, design and
specialized construction.
The great journey in art with the individual -but also the participation in many groupexhibitions
has begun. In every place he is in, he visits regularly all kinds of the museums, the
archeological ones in particularly, because he considers museums as places with positive
vibes, but also as unique schools where people can study art so freely and intensively. He
has chosen to live and work in his birth place. He specializes in forging sheets of metal and
their assembling, a very difficult task that demands the use of the hammer and the anvil as
the only tools.
♣
Nikos Sotiriades
Pandelis Sotiriades