Nikomachi Karakostanoglou
Greek artist Nikomachi Karakostanoglou may have made her public debut only two years ago but her artistic sensibility has been evolving ever since she came up with the concept of “sculpting space” during her studies in interior design, sculpture and public art in London. Eager to experiment and explore, she studied Chinese calligraphy while living in Shanghai, and worked as an interior designer in Athens, before retreating to her studio in Nymfaio, a mountainous village in Macedonia, to focus on her art. Inspired by elusive yet fundamental notions like light, movement, and silence, Nikomachi's minimalist, monochromatic drawings feature abstract forms that imbue her compositions with luminosity and spirituality. Oftentimes using materials that she collects from her extensive travels, such as sand from her one-month residency in the Atacama Desert in Chile in 2019, the artist’s work evokes a heightened sense of place, inviting viewers on a subliminal journey. We recently caught up with Nikomachi to ask her about her inspirations, her favourite colours and most treasured possessions.
Photo: Nikomachi Karakostanoglou at her atelier in Nymfaio, Florina, by Vangelis Somarakis.
A project/initiative you’re most proud of?
My new exhibition at Mirko Mayer gallery with photographer Ola Kolehmainen.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
From nature all around the globe.
Which art/design/style icons you are most inspired by?
Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint.
Which colours are you currently enamoured of?
Burgundy
A timeless design piece you own?
An enamel Art Deco wood stove.
Beyond The Visible - Hilma af Klint (2019)
A timeless design piece you own?
An enamel Art Deco wood stove.
Three Instagram accounts you check daily?
@litofinejewlery, @_nitch, @yolo
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?
Scuba diving at Port Sudan.
What do you miss most when travelling?
Nothing.
Which city would you chose to live in if you had to move?
Kyoto.
Atacama Desert in Chile, photo by Nikomachi Karakostanoglou.
What souvenirs would you bring back home?
Books.
Favourite gallery/museum?
Cycladic museum in Athens.
What is on your bookshelf?
The Spinoza Problem, a novel by Irvin D.Yalom.
What quote do you live by?
Be kind and strong.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Amazing.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Mâcha tea in total silence.
What is your most treasured possession?
A small opal frog.
