natyu

Nick Georgiou's meticulously hand stitched newspaper sculptures continue to blow our mind. He seems to be taking them to another level, giving them movement and integrating them into the environment. For us, Nick and Mark Jenkins - along with Brad Downey, Leon Reid, and Prune, are the absolute best "urban sculptors" working on the streets today.Many people claim the printed word is becoming obsolete, pushed aside by technology and computers.

Many people claim the printed word is becoming obsolete, pushed aside by technology and computers.

Sculptor Nick Georgiou molds this relic material into hand-carved and textured sculptures depicting faces and creatures. To him, it's not obsolete at all.
In addition to being a sculptor, Nick's a wonderful filmmaker as well. He's been working on a documentary about Cyprus and recently crossed the Green Line and saw his father’s village for the first time.
"It's paper that you might throw away or recycle, and now it's art," says Union Gallery curator Holly Brown.

As a site-specific artist, Georgiou comes to a location and creates art. He's been in Tucson since the beginning of February to produce works for the Union Gallery show, and Georgiou has been using Tucson's local newspapers for his creations. In other words, this story could perhaps be a body part on a future Georgiou creature!

"It's very eye-catching; it has a lot of personality. ... Having a face look back at you is very interesting," says Brown.

But Georgiou's creatures are more than skin-deep; his work has a social message about the evolution of mass communication and the newspaper as a medium, says Brown.

Visitors will be able to get up-close and personal with the 3-D sculptures, as well as meet Georgiou; he will be using part of the Union Gallery as his studio a few times a week.

"It's a great way to get students directly involved with artists," says Brown.

The Union Gallery will be hosting an opening reception for Georgiou.