Panayiotis Kalorkoti

Panayiotis Kalorkoti (born 11 April 1957, Cyprus) is a contemporary British artist. As well as painting in acrylics and watercolour he does drawings and also experimented with etchings, screenprints, lithographs and monotypes. He tends to produce a series of paintings for a specific exhibition. He works within specific terms of reference and his work has been described as an entirely modern iconography. His work is figurative and features bright colour, economic use of line and makes use of collage, whilst referring to conceptualism, abstraction and modernism. Most of the work tends to be in groups and it is in the serial works that the viewer will sense a certain questioning and re-focusing. Of his artistic approach, Andrew Lambirth wrote:

Kalorkoti was born in Cyprus in 1957 and moved to the United Kingdom in 1966. He became a British citizen in 1974. He studied at Newcastle upon Tyne University (1976–80) and the Royal College of Art, London (1982–85). Of his student days, Frank Whitford wrote:

Kalorkoti has held exhibitions in Britain and abroad which include the Imperial War Museum, London, National Portrait Gallery, London, and National Garden Festival, Gateshead. He has worked on major public projects, such as Grizedale Arts, Cumbria and has been artist in residence for the Leeds Playhouse and has won fellowships, scholarships and commissions. He has exhibited regularly in a number of public galleries and museums. Writing for a catalogue in 2007 John Russell Taylor noted that:

Kalorkoti has been a part-time visiting lecturer at a number of art schools and won a Netherlands Government Scholarship (1986–87); was Bartlett Fellow in the Visual Arts at Newcastle University (1988); was artist in residence at Cleveland County (1992); and has had a number of other artist in residence. Kalorkoti has had many commissions and the British Council; Imperial War Museum; Laing Art Gallery; Hatton Gallery; and Stedelijk Museum have his work in their collection. Of his work, Norbert Lynton summarizes:

Most of his work tends to be in groups or portfolios and it is in the serial works the viewer will find Kalorkoti’s artistic direction and ethos. Some projects such as Berlin Project, Homage to Goya, The Fathers of Modern Art, West Yorkshire Playhouse Residency, Four Nations Capitals. Of the Four Nations Capitals Charles Saumarez Smith wrote:

• 1988 Kalorkoti, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne and Tour: Darlington Arts Centre; Gray Art Gallery and Museum, Hartlepool; Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham (catalogue-text by Eva Krabbe, 68 pages with 64 illustrations, 16 in colour)
• 1990 National Garden Festival Commission, Gateshead and Tour (catalogue-text by Roger Wollen, 40 pages with 234 illustrations, 8 in colour) ISBN 0-901273-15-5
• 1990 A Retrospective of Etchings and Screenprints 1978–89, Imperial War Museum, London (catalogue-text by Frank Whitford, 40 pages with 33 illustrations, 20 in colour) ISBN 0-901627-56-9
• 1992 A Retrospective View 1985–91, Design Works, Gateshead (catalogue-text by Timothy Hyman, 32 pages with 46 illustrations, 44 in colour) ISBN 0-9519585-0-X
• 1992 Etchings and Drawings, Cleveland Gallery, Middlesbrough and Tour: Steendrukkerij Amsterdam B.V. (catalogue-text by Frank Van den Broeck, 72 pages with 93 illustrations, 48 in colour) ISBN 0-904784-21-5
• 1994 Retrospective (Etchings 1983–93), Gallery K, London and Tour: Galerie Titanium, Athens (catalogue-text by Roger Cardinal, 32 pages with 44 illustrations, 33 in colour) ISBN 1-898710-00-7
• 1995 Reflections of Grizedale (Acrylics, Watercolours, Etchings), Gallery in the Forest, Grizedale (catalogue-text by Edward Lucie-Smith, 60 pages with 43 illustrations, 36 in colour) ISBN 0-9525450-0-4
• 1997 An Exhibition of Acrylics, Watercolours and Etchings, Design Works, Gateshead (catalogue-text by Mel Gooding, 60 pages with 55 illustrations, 53 in colour) ISBN 0-9519585-1-8
• 1998 Heads, Faces and Figures, Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead and Tour: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry (catalogue-text by Robin Gibson, 40 pages with 70 illustrations, 53 in colour) ISBN 0-905974-71-9
• 2000 Acrylics, Watercolours and Etchings, AdHoc Gallery, Buddle Arts Centre, North Tyneside, (catalogue-text by Norbert Lynton, 40 pages with 44 illustrations, 43 in colour) ISBN 0-9531108-0-X
• 2001 Flowers in Watercolour, Gallery K, London and Tour (catalogue-text by Andrew Lambirth, 40 pages with 57 illustrations, 51 in colour) ISBN 1-898710-38-4
• 2002 Moving Figures, Bangor Museum & Art Gallery, Wales and Tour: Usher Gallery, Lincoln (catalogue-text by Judith Bumpus, 40 pages with 61 illustrations, 61 in colour)
• 2005 In Motion, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle upon Tyne (catalogue-text by Elspeth Moncrieff, 40 pages with 51 illustrations, 51 in colour) ISBN 0-9549903-0-7
• 2007 In a Movement, BIC, Sunderland (catalogue-text by Huon Mallalieu, 48 pages with 72 illustrations, 72 in colour) ISBN 978-0-9556317-0-2
• 2007 Events, European Commission in the UK, London (catalogue-text by John Russell Taylor, 40 pages with 41 illustrations, 41 in colour)
• 2014 Four Nations Capitals, Northern Print, Newcastle upon Tyne (Catalogue – text by John Russell Taylor; Huon Mallalieu; Charles Saumarez Smith; Kathleen Soriano; Elspeth Bray; Frank Van den Broeck; Roger Cardinal), 48 pages with 88 colour illustrations ISBN 978-0-9555846-9-5

• 1980 Recent Prints, University of Northumbria at Newcastle
• 1984 People and Places, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Museum, Kendal
• 1987 Prints, The Minories, Colchester
• 1987 Coloured Etchings, Steendrukkerij Amsterdam B.V.
• 1988–89 Kalorkoti, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle and tour: Darlington Arts Centre; Gray Art Gallery and Museum, Hartlepool; Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham (Catalogue-text by Eva Krabbe)
• 1990 A Retrospective of Etchings and Screenprints 1978–89, Imperial War Museum, London (Catalogue-text by Frank Whitford)
• 1990 National Garden Festival Commission, 1990, National Garden Festival, Gateshead (Catalogue-text by Roger Wollen)
• 1992 A Retrospective View 1985–91, Design Works, Gateshead (Catalogue-text by Timothy Hyman)
• 1992 Etchings and Drawings, Cleveland Gallery, Middlesbrough and tour: Steendrukkerij Amsterdam B.V. (Catalogue-text by Frank Van den Broeck)
• 1994 Retrospective (Etchings 1983–93), Gallery K, London and tour: Galerie Titanium, Athens (Catalogue-text by Roger Cardinal)
• 1995 Reflections of Grizedale (Acrylics, Watercolours, Etchings), Gallery in the Forest, Grizedale (Catalogue - text by Edward Lucie-Smith)
• 1997–98 An Exhibition of Acrylics, Watercolours and Etchings, Design Works, Gateshead (Catalogue-text by Mel Gooding)
• 1998–99 Heads, Faces and Figures, Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead and tour: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry (Catalogue-text by Robin Gibson)
• 2000 Acrylics, Watercolours and Etchings, AdHoc Gallery, Buddle Arts Centre, North Tyneside (Catalogue-text by Norbert Lynton)
• 2001 Flowers in Watercolour, Gallery K, London and tour: Gallery K, Nicosia (Catalogue-text by Andrew Lambirth)
• 2002 Moving Figures, Bangor Museum & Art Gallery, Wales and tour: Usher Gallery, Lincoln (Catalogue-text by Judith Bumpus)
• 2005 In Motion, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle upon Tyne (Catalogue-text by Elspeth Moncrieff)
• 2007 In a Movement, BIC, Sunderland (Catalogue-text by Huon Mallalieu)
• 2007 Events, European Commission in the UK, London (Catalogue-text by John Russell Taylor)
• 2014 Four Nations Capitals, Northern Print, Newcastle upon Tyne (Catalogue – text by John Russell Taylor; Huon Mallalieu; Charles Saumarez Smith; Kathleen Soriano; Elspeth Bray; Frank Van den Broeck; Roger Cardinal)

Selected group exhibitions

• 1983 Northern Young Contemporaries, (awarded Granada Prize) Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
• 1984 New Contemporaries, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (Catalogue)
• 1985 Printmakers at the Royal College of Art, Concourse Gallery, Barbican Centre, London (Catalogue - text by William Feaver)
• 1986 Tradition and Innovation in Printmaking Today, Milton Keynes Exhibition Gallery and tour: Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; Andrew Grant Gallery, Edinburgh; Concourse Gallery, Barbican Centre, London; Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth (Catalogue)
• 1986 Between Identity and Politics, A New Art, Gimpel Fils, London and tour: Darlington Arts Centre; Gimpel and Weitzenhoffer, New York (Catalogue)
• 1986 Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
• 1989 The Artistic Records Committee: A Retrospective 1972–1989, Imperial War Museum, London
• 1991 Homage to Goya and Soldier, Modern Art Oxford
• 1993 The Portrait Now, National Portrait Gallery, London (Catalogue-text by Robin Gibson)
• 1993 Gallery K, London (Catalogue - text by Mary Rose Beaumont)
• 1995 Heads and Tales II, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry
• 2001 A New Light, Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery
• 2002 Butterflies and Moths, Derby Museum and Art Gallery
• 2006–07 Story, Alexia Goethe Gallery, London (Catalogue)
• 2008 Mediterraneo: a Sea that Unites, Italian Cultural Institute, London (Catalogue-text by Gabriele Magnani)
• 2009–15 What Lies Beneath: British Experiences of the Cold War, Imperial War Museum (Official website)