Central Image: The Harder they Come, 2014 | Photo: Nikos Alexopoulos

A very unique environment, an “oasis” of design and creativity. That’s how we could describe the “Club Vacay” exhibition, presented at the 100% Hotel Show 2022 and bearing the signature of Greece is for Lovers. Design Society’s collaboration with the duo of Thanos Karampatsos and Christina Kotsilelou allowed us to better acquaint ourselves with the powerful philosophy behind their creative ventures, whether they concern functional objects or exhibition design.

In the distant and promising (for Greece) year of 2006, the duo founded their creative studio, obviously influenced by the carefree mentality of the 70s, when the “greek lover” concept emerged for the first time, taking over the tourist-attracting campaigns of the time. Their design, however, is contemporary and keeps a critical stance against tradition and history, as well as people’s obsession with them, employing humour, irony and nostalgia. "Greece is for Lovers" items are unique, not only in terms of production but also in terms of style since they push the boundaries between kitsch and luxury. The creative studio’s distinctive self-sarcasm makes it undoubtedly successful but to learn more about it we talked with Thanos Karampatsos and Christina Kotsilelou.

Proto Attica, 2018 | Photo: Nikos Alexopoulos

In your judgement, what is the relationship between the Greek public and design, especially having recently curated the “Club Vacay” exhibition? How do you approach the design of an exhibition in general?

The Greek public is gradually becoming more familiar with design and acknowledges that it’s an integral part of daily life and not just a trend one follows in order to stay “relevant”. “Club Vacay” was our first collection to be exhibited in a physical space (the “Gran Turismo” collection for Adorno was exhibited online) and the public embraced it, leaving us with a lot of positive feedback. We were impressed by the fact that, while the exhibition was mainly aimed at hoteliers and hospitality professionals, there were many visitors from the field of architecture and design, Greeks as well as foreigners. Most of them were quite informed about Greek design and showed particular interest in some up-and-coming names that we presented. “Club Vacay”, like everything we design, was a collection with a very specific concept and that is something we strive for: a distinct theme, even though we may be bringing together a seemingly disparate set of works. We start by choosing particular objects so that the collection is consistent. We are primarily interested in the objects, and not so much in the profiles of the studios that made them -the objects can also be anonymous. That is, we do not look at resumes but approach the collections through the specific exhibits we desire.

«Club Vacay» at 100% Hotel Show 2022 | Photo: Greece is for Lovers

Watch a brief tour around the «Club Vacay» exhibition:

In several of your objects, you seem to borrow the stereotypical forms from the anonymous souvenirs, and by using expensive materials, such as marble, you give them a completely new quality. What do you aim for with this vocabulary?

Folklore, folk art and souvenirs, objects and concepts that are very close to our identity and environment, enthral us through their intensely kitsch quality! We try to elevate “banalities” and are not ashamed of different forms of “ugliness” that, however, disclose passion. Elements considered by many as aesthetic abominations inspire us. It was not our intention to redesign the "bad" kitsch souvenirs and improve them, as many mistakenly understood. On the contrary, we loved them, and our designs, especially in the beginning, were an ode to them.

Atlantish Decanter | Photo: Nikos Alexopoulos

All items designed by you are handmade. Tell us more about your love for the handmade and whether your philosophy could be applied to industrial mass production.

The objects we design and produce are handmade mainly out of necessity, as in Greece access to industrial mass production is not particularly feasible. It is not our intention to promote Greek craftsmanship, but in many cases, the image of the handmade is intentional, as we desire this particular aesthetic. The reality is that in Greece there is an abundance of artisans who can produce small orders, which we take advantage of to bring our objects to life. Many times we design objects with specific artisans in mind, knowing beforehand what they can make. We'd love to have the opportunity to design something for the industrial scale of production and we're sure we'd make the result have that signature magical GIFL touch!

Smoke.A.Bowl, 2019 | Photo: Bill Georgoussis

What should we expect from you in the future?

We will, of course, continue designing objects, but we would also like to continue curating exhibitions since that brings us closer to our peers and strengthens synergies and collaborations, which are always attractive.

Shell Patrol, 2015. Φωτ: Nikos Alexopoulos

Many thanks to Thanos and Christina, we can’t wait to see their new creative endeavours in person.

greeceisforlovers.com

Photo gallery from the “Club Vacay” exhibition at the 100% Hotel Show 2022: