Vassiliki Sianti
Director of Sianti Gallery
In 2016, Vassiliki Sianti returned from London to Greece in order to take on the direction of the new Sianti Gallery, equipped with the knowledge and the experience she had gained working in the international Art Market for premium players such as Saatchi Gallery and Sotheby’s.
She is currently collaborating with important Greek artists as a curator to their exhibitions, as well as a market advisor regarding the promotion of their work. While doing so, and with the outmost respect for the contribution of the preceding artistic generation, she is always ready to welcome younger artists in the Sianti Gallery community.
At the same time, she preserves and cultivates her contacts in the international visual art scene with a focus on the prevailing market trends.
Aspiring to bring the general public closer to Art, she insists on interviewing and making videos of the artists in their workshops, in order to let the viewers take a glimpse of an artist’s human side.
She strongly believes that “children should view artists as true human beings, not as mythical characters”, which is why she has created a children-friendly gallery, offering free educational programs. Through these actions, she wishes to familiarize children with the artist as a person, not only with his/her art. Furthermore, she demonstrates her love for children through the Gallery’s annual support to the SOS Children’s Villages.
Parallel to her social work, she always seeks new ways of satisfying art lovers, as well as art investors, providing them with whatever it is that they might be looking for.
She has the outmost faith in her partners and collaborators and she is a passionate advocator of team work.
“Dwelling in the fascinating world of visual arts, I feel as if I am a teacher and a pupil, a collector and an art dealer, a visitor and a director, all in one. And it is an incredibly unique feeling.”
Thodoris Siantis
Art Counselor, Site Administrator, Sianti Gallery
Being an expert in technology, Thodoris Siantis administers the website of Sianti Gallery, ensuring its continuous upgrade, while monitoring the market dynamics in order to provide a constant and up-to-date renewal of the featured products.
He is the one responsible for the gallery’s significant, yet behind-the-scenes contribution to Art, as he manages the planning and production of silkscreen printings, a unique gerne of Greek art which was encouraged and promoted through the Ikastikos Kiklos Sianti Gallery. It is his personal belief that Silkscreen Printing can act as a prelude to the creation of a new collection, as it acquaints the general public with contemporary Greek artists.
Due to his expertise, he oversees in absolute detail each painting’s silkscreen printings, ensuring that there won’t be any discrepancies regarding the brush strokes, the movement of the artist’s hand or the general impression of his/her work. He passionately encourages the production of engravings, taking full responsibility for the result – always in close collaboration with the artist. Otherwise, “the work could lose its magic”, as he often likes to point out.
Although he studied mathematics, he always had a close relationship with Art. As a child, he used to accompany his father, Fanis, to the artists’ ateliers, something which served as an early introduction to the world of the Art Market. It was an experience which trained his eye in detecting details and recognizing manière.
He is currently in charge of the signing and numbering of an artist’s silkscreen printings, as well as the gallery’s digital presentation, including the organizing and digitalization of the artworks. He also manages the Shipping Department of the gallery’s e-shop, which was launched in 2018.
“When a project comes to a conclusion, the artist signs and numbers his silkscreen printings. In this moment, I know a new work of art has been born, ready to reach each and everyone of you out there.”
Fanis Siantis
Founder and Inspirator, Ikastikos Kiklos
Fanis Siantis, a collector and dealer of art and owner of the gallery since 1980, has co-founded Ikastikos Kiklos with his close friend and partner, Dinos Liberopoulos. He was a pioneer in art dealing, creating the silkscreen printing market from scratch, along with a series of very successful exhibitions which brought contemporary art into the houses, not only of the Athenians, but of the Greek public in general.
In 1996, Fanis Siantis moved the Ikastikos Kiklos Sianti Gallery at Charilaou Trikoupi St., in a legendary art space of 1,700 m2, which has been declared by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture as one of the thirty Athenian buildings of special architectural interest. And it was then that he presented an iconic group exhibition which signified the passing from the old, to the new era of Ikastikos Kiklos, with the participation of artists such as Mitaras, Fasianos, Sorogas, Tsoklis, Kokkinidis, Tetsis, Gaitis, Gikas, Tsarouchis, Vasiliou and many others.
Today, he remains active in the field of art dealing, retaining an advisory role beside his children, Vassiliki and Thodoris, who have been fully entrusted with the management of Sianti Gallery. He is a true believer in the gallery’s goals, contributing to the selection of works by young and promising visual artists without neglecting to promote the work of his older collaborators with whom he once built Ikastikos Kiklos Sianti.
“Art is my life. I turned my passion into a profession and have been living my life alongside my friends, which are no other than the painters and my old and trusted customers.”
