Meeting Point 03: National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation

Aris Georgiou, The Other Piano, 1982, Silver gelatin print, 18 × 24 cm, (depicting composer Sakis Papadimitriou), Collection of National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation

The artwork “The Other Piano” by Aris Georgiou was created in 1982. It is a small-format black-and-white photograph, approximately the size of a book, depicting composer and pianist Sakis Papadimitriou as he plays the piano in an unusual, experimental manner.

At the centre of the photograph, the pianist’s hands dominate the composition as they rest on the keys. Seen almost from above, they are positioned in a strikingly unconventional way. The fingers are tightly joined, and the palms press against the keys from the outer, lateral side of the hands. The right hand forcefully presses the white keys, while the left rests more gently on the black ones. The positioning of the hands evokes a karate strike, “Karate-forte,” as the composer himself called it, creating a strong association between musical act and physical alertness.

The piano keys form a pronounced diagonal line that divides the image into two zones. In the lower left zone, part of the composer’s body is visible as he sits on a chair, his legs forming an angle in a relaxed posture, not rendered in relief on the postcard.In the upper right zone, the open lid of the piano and part of its interior can be seen.

The image is characterised by strict geometry and strong contrasts between black, white, and the intermediate tones of gray. Light accentuates the piano’s glossy surface and the porous texture of the skin on the composer’s hands.

The photograph belongs to the series titled The Other Piano, which documents a pioneering artistic project by Aris Georgiou in collaboration with Sakis Papadimitriou in the early 1980s. This collaboration combined free musical improvisation with visual elements, exploring the possibilities of the piano beyond its traditional limits.

In this artwork, the piano is approached not only as a musical instrument but as an object of experimentation and physical engagement. The pianist is presented as a researcher of sound, engaging with the piano with intensity and concentration, transforming performance into a gesture that exists between music, noise, vibration, silence, and touch.

The creative description of the artwork “The Other Piano” by Aris Georgiou is the result of co-creation by the participants in Meeting Point 03: National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation.

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