Wrestling Materiality
Yioryios Papayioryiou’s exhibition, Wrestling Materiality, delves into the interplay between industrial materials and the physical and metaphorical struggle they embody. Rooted in his childhood experience with the sport of wrestling, the artist draws parallels between the tactile, corporeal dynamics of the body in combat and the relentless interaction of maritime materials with their environment.
Working from a studio amidst the marine workshops and shipyards of Piraeus, Papayioryiou repurposes materials designed for resilience against the ocean. These utilitarian materials, used for polishing ship hulls and marine metal components, are transformed into a sculpture language.
As the body wrestles with its opponent, so too does a ship wrestle with the waves of the ocean. This dynamic struggle finds resonance in Papayioryiou’s practice as he wrestles with materials, shaping them into works that explores the sensory and spatial relationship between architecture and the body.
The installation, composed of 6 sculptural works, reflects the artist’s ongoing exploration of materiality and form. Papayioryiou’s redefines the edge and surface of space, inviting viewers to grapple with the phenomenology of architecture and the visceral energy of materiality in transition.