Nikos Alexiou

Nikos Alexiou (Greek: Νίκος Αλεξίου ; 1960 – 25 February 2011, Athens) was a Greek artist who specialized in visual art, contemporary art, installation art and set design for theatre and dance. He exhibited his work at personal exhibitions and group events both in Greece and abroad. Alexiou lived in central Athens until his death from cancer at the age of 51.

Alexiou began collecting art at a young age. In 2009, he curated an exhibition of his collection of works by 70 modern and contemporary artists at the Bazeos Tower in Naxos. The tower is a 17th-century tower that was built as a monastery. The collected artists included Adam Chodzko, Bernhard Cella, Amy O’Neill, Jim Shaw, Jimmie Durham, Andisheh Avini, Yuken Teruya, Antonis Kiriakoulis, Deanna Maganias, Giannoulis Chalepas, Elena Poka, Ilias Kafouros, Kostis Velonis, Dimitris Papaioannou, Mantalina Psoma, Emmanouil Zacharioudakis, Simon Periton, Marie Francoise Poutays, Mary Redmont, Michael Michaeledes, Minas, Spyros Litinas, Stephen Dean, Vasso Gavaisse, Lydia Venieri,Vangelis Vlahos and Yorgos Papountzis. The exhibition was an expression of the artistry of Alexiou (as much as his own work). The collected items paralleled his own development as an artist; the business of the final preparations of the exhibition reflected his passion; and the tower itself became an art subject itself in Alexiou's video productions of the day.

In 2007, Vassilika Sarilaki, an art historian, interviewed Alexiou regarding his participation in the Venice Biennale. She wrote,

Alexiou received recognition for his work as set designer for Medea (Dimitris Papaioannou, (1993) and for The End (installation, 2007). The End was selected as the Greek contribution to the 52nd Venice Biennale.

In his years at the Athens School of Fine Arts, Alexiou met Dimitris Papaioannou, a stage director, choreographer, and visual artist. At the time, Papaioannou was a fellow pupil. The two men became friends and worked together on various projects. In 1990, Alexiou proposed a collaboration, using his own work as a base for Papaioannou to work upon. The result was The Last Song of Richard Strauss, which later became The Songs trilogy. The Last Song, a success for Papaioannou and the Omada Edafous Dance Theatre company, demonstrated work in the genre of set design. In 1993, Alexiou again collaborated with Dimitris Papaioannou in the production of Medea for the "Omada Edafous Dance Theatre company".

In 1985, Alexiou held his first personal exhibition at "Desmos" Gallery in Athens. He used basic materials and those commonly found in nature such as rock, wood, mud and water. In 1987, Alexiou continued his experimentation with natural features by venturing into their decomposition. He created Prisms, a series of works which analyzes the projection of white light into different spaces, even through rain. Alexiou later created Solar Houses, minimalistic constructions of cane and reeds which share a fragile feeling of absolute geometry. Alexiou said, he was creating "an imaginable garden pavilion". Other works in this genre include: San Marco di Venezia, The Gate, and Fountain.

In 1982, at the age of 22, Alexiou moved to Austria to study at the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts. Two years later, he returned to Greece to study at the Athens School of Fine Arts.