The Benaki Museum Shop presents Giannis Zois’ exhibition “Constructs of time, constructs of man” as part of the series “Kriezotou 3 window. An artist exhibits”.

What does a landscape reveal about the time that shapes it? Working with terracotta and porcelain, Zois explores the relationship between the slow transformations of nature and the traces of human presence.

“My terracotta pieces take the form of ceramic deposits within constructed settings—fragments, layers, and accumulations that suggest a terrain gradually transformed by natural processes. Directly connected to the earth, terracotta carries the memory of the soil; it is a material that belongs to the environment, even as it is shaped by hand and fire.

The works forming the ‘Porcelain city’ introduce a different dimension. Here, nature’s organic accumulation gives way to the structured landscape. The city emerges as a system of repetition, density, order, and intention. In contrast to the earthy quality of terracotta, porcelain is refined and takes on an almost architectural character. Its fragility and precision point to the human desire to organize, control, and inhabit space.

The exhibition highlights two distinct temporalities: the deep, almost imperceptible time of geological formation and the accelerated, visible time of human construction. However, the line between them is never absolute. The ceramic object exists precisely at this unstable threshold, acting as a bearer of memory between the earth and the human realm”, as the artist notes.

Giannis Zois was born in Athens in 1978, where he lives and works. From 2008 to 2010, he attended courses at the Nikaia Municipal Ceramics School. He subsequently apprenticed under Menandros Papadopoulos and Kostas Tarkasis, working as the latter’s assistant from 2011 to 2012. He is a member of the Geneva-based Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. He has participated in notable exhibitions in Greece and abroad (Santorini Biennale 2024, Homo Faber Biennale, Venice 2024, 19th Korea Craft Festival, Seoul 2024, ‘Mediterraneo’, Grottaglie 2026), and his works are held in museum collections as well as in hospitality venues, including One&Only Aesthesis and The Ilisian (formerly the Hilton Hotel). Through his experimentation with clay and form, he creates ceramic objects that serve as vehicles for visualizing the artistic process itself, leaving room for transformation, new compositions, and alternative narratives.

Ghika Gallery Shop, 3 Kriezotou St., Athens

Opening: 15.10.2026, 19:00

Duration: 15.10.2026 - 07.11.2026