Meeting Point 02: Gerovassiliou Wine Museum

Yiannis Moralis, Erotic, 2003, sculpture, iron, 234 x 175 cm, Gerovassiliou Wine Museum Collection

The sculpture “Erotic” by Yiannis Moralis was created in 2003 and depicts a couple in an amorous embrace, rendered through flat, abstract geometric forms. Made of iron, it has a dark gray surface and stands slightly taller than an adult human, with a width approximately equivalent to three people standing side by side. The sculpture rests on a solid metal base and is installed outdoors at the Domaine Gerovassiliou in Epanomi, near Thessaloniki, Greece.

At the upper part of the composition, a large, flat metal plane extends horizontally. This form is interrupted roughly at its midpoint by a vertical plane that descends towards the centre of the artwork and functions as a point of contact between the two figures, evoking heads facing one another and joined in a kiss. Following this vertical element downwards to the left, a unified, more curved shape emerges, suggesting a seated female figure in profile. The curve continues, forming the torso of the female figure and concluding in a bent leg. To the right, the composition is articulated through straighter, more rigid lines that suggest a seated male figure, upon whom the female figure appears to sit, facing him.

The artwork unfolds across three levels of depth, composed of flat metal planes positioned at slight distances from one another. These planes overlap, forming a unified abstract composition, in which the boundaries and contours of the two bodies are not easily perceivable.

Moralis’s sculptural language is characterised by geometric discipline, clean lines, and an abstracted rendering of the human form. In works from his mature period, of which this sculpture is a representative example, eroticism is conveyed through the relationship between forms and physical proximity, without superfluous detail.The sculpture’s dark metallic surface creates a striking contrast with the lush green landscape that surrounds it. Despite the cold material and strict geometric forms, the artwork conveys a strong sense of intimacy, tenderness, and harmony. The two figures merge so closely that their boundaries dissolve within their embrace. Where one ends, the other begins. Erotic by Yiannis Moralis stands as a timeless expression of the human experience of love, articulated with restraint, depth, and sensitivity.

The creative description of the artwork “Erotic” by Yiannis Moralis is the result of co-creation by the participants in Meeting Point 02: Gerovassiliou Wine Museum.

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