The opening of the new painting exhibition by acclaimed Heraklion artist Konstantinos Perakis, entitled “The Other Side of Silence”, took place with great success at St Mark’s Basilica on Monday, 21 September 2026. The exhibition is organised by the Municipality of Heraklion – Municipal Art Gallery and features 82 works. It will run until 7 November 2026.

Speaking about the work of Konstantinos Perakis, Deputy Mayor for Culture Rena Papadaki – Skalidi said:

“The exhibition of Takis Perakis is another important artistic proposal and an opportunity for the public to discover or reconnect with the work of an artist who has left his own distinctive mark on the visual arts landscape. Takis Perakis, committed to painting as a means of expression, highlights the power of art to inspire, move and build bridges between people. The Municipality of Heraklion remains a steadfast supporter of artists who, through their work and consistency, enrich the contemporary cultural dialogue and establish St Mark’s Basilica as a meeting point between history and contemporary artistic expression.”

Welcoming the public to the exhibition, the Heraklion painter spoke about his work, which moves between representation and expressionist deconstruction, seeking not a faithful reproduction of the visible world but the revelation of its inner tension. Human figures remain recognisable, yet move away from descriptive realism and become incorporated into landscapes that function as psychological spaces.

Gestural painting plays a central role in the artist’s work. Successive layers, interventions and the pronounced materiality of the surface leave the creative process visible, while compositions are structured through large masses of colour rather than a fixed perspective.

Colour is a fundamental vehicle of expression. Deep blues, earthy tones, oxidised reds and luminous white surfaces clash and coexist, creating a tension that does not serve a naturalistic rendering of light, but rather the emotional function of the image.

Recurring themes in his works include decay, decline, turmoil, shipwreck, unease and a sense of constant threat. Landscapes that appear to have experienced a catastrophe and human presences that seem awkward or detached function as images of an uncertain contemporary reality.

Perakis’ painting engages with the tradition of European Expressionism, without being confined by historical models. Memories of the Greek landscape, everyday life and existential experience come together to create a personal visual language in which form, colour and material are in constant dialogue.

His work offers no ready-made answers, nor does it seek to create a “beautiful” image. Instead, it creates a space for emotional participation, where viewers are invited to complete the meaning through their own experience. A painting of gesture, material and necessity, insisting on the human presence not as description, but as lived experience.

Biography of Konstantinos Perakis

Takis (Konstantinos) Perakis was born in Heraklion, Crete, in 1952. He initially studied painting, decoration and graphic arts at AKTO and later, from 1990 to 1992, studied printmaking at the Scuola Internazionale Incisori in Rome, while also studying under Giannis Migadis.

His works have been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Athens, Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Thessaloniki and Italy. He also participated in the Printmaking Biennale in Nantes, France, in 1990 and in Artisti Greci in Italia in Rome in 1988.

He is a member of the Associazione Internazionale Incisori of Rome and Venice and of EETE.

Exhibition Information

Painting Exhibition “The Other Side of Silence” by Konstantinos Perakis

Exhibition dates: Monday, 21 September 2026 – Saturday, 7 November 2026
St Mark’s Basilica – Municipal Art Gallery of Heraklion
Lions Square, Heraklion
Tel.: 2813409228
E-mail: artgallery@heraklion.gr

Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday – Thursday – Friday – Saturday, 10:00–18:00
Closed: Tuesday, Sundays and public holidays
Admission: Free