# Kiriakos Tompolidis URL: https://vielmetter.com/artists/kiriakos-tompolidis/ Represented by Vielmetter Los Angeles **Kiriakos Tompolidis (B. Essen, Germany, 1997)**is an artist of Greek descent who resides in Germany. His paintings typically portray domestic scenes and solitary figures in a two-dimensional style reminiscent of Greek vase paintings. They often incorporate objects such as classical Greek statues, vases, and architectural elements. Tompolidis’s work is profoundly influenced by his Greek heritage and his personal experiences as a Greek immigrant in Germany. By referencing his grandparents daily environment, and including objects or patterns associated with ancient Greek culture, he weaves a narrative through his paintings that explores the connection between his own identity and his cultural heritage. In addition to exploring the aesthetics, subjects, and techniques of ancient and classical Greek art, Tompolidis’s paintings also serve as a means for him to process and depict the multi-dimensional complexities of the immigrant experience. They act as a means for expressing the psychological and emotional struggles faced by previous generations who arrived in a new country after the war and lived through the integration of the two Germanys. Kiriakos Tompolidis’s work is deeply personal and rooted in his own family experiences as well as those of his ancestors: it explores the intricate relationship between his identity and his cultural and historical heritage. His paintings promote empathy and understanding for the immigrant experience, offering a reflection of the global migration crisis we are facing today. ## Exhibitions - [Kiriakos TompolidisThe Quiet Hour](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/kiriakos-tompolidis-the-quiet-hour-2026.md): August 21 — October 4, 2026 · Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany · Artists: Kiriakos Tompolidis - [Kiriakos Tompolidis: Your Tears Will Dry](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/kiriakos-tompolidis-2025.md): November 15, 2025 — January 24, 2026 · Gallery II · Artists: Kiriakos Tompolidis - [Andrea BowersLavaughan JenkinsMario JoyceRobert PruittDeborah RobertsGio SwabyKiriakos Tompolidis inIcons, Archetypes, and Portraits](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/icons-archetypes-and-portraits.md): November 6, 2025 — January 25, 2026 · North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND · Artists: Andrea Bowers, Lavaughan Jenkins, Mario Joyce, Robert Pruitt, Gio Swaby, Deborah Roberts, Kiriakos Tompolidis ## Biography 1997 Born in Essen, Germany Currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany 2024 Diploma in Fine Arts at the University of Arts, Berlin, Germany 2018 Freie Universität Berlin and University of Arts, Berlin, Germany 2016 University Duisburg-Essen Germany, Essen Folkwang, Germany **Selected Solo Exhibitions** 2026 "The Quiet Hour," Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany (forthcoming) 2025 "Your Tears Will Dry," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2024 "Kiriakos Tompolidis: The More It Hurts, the Less It Shows," Galerie Judin, Berlin, Germany 2023 "Kiriakos Tompolidis: God Loves You (But Not as Much to Save You)," Labor, Mexico City, Mexico "Kiriakos Tompolidis: Don’t Forget to Live," Miettinen Collection, Berlin, Germany "Kiriakos Tompolidis: I know that I know Nothing," The Cabin, Los Angeles, CA **Selected Group Exhibitions** 2025 "Icons, Archetypes, and Portraits," North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND "14th Taipei Biennial: Whispers on the Horizon," Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan 2024 "GEGEN DEN STRICH," Schloss Sacrow, Potsdam, Germany "New Works by Lavaughan Jenkins, Mario Joyce, Raffi Kalenderian, Kiriakos Tompolidis," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2023 Group Show, Green Family Foundation, Dallas, TX "We Are A Way For The Cosmos To Know Itself," Bode Gallery, Berlin, Germany "SIRANI," Gallery Judin, Berlin, Germany 2022 "Garten of Performance," Fünfter Löffel, Berlin, Germany 2021 "Ein Sommer in Neukladow," curated by Miriam-Esther Owesle, Ghotische Haus, Germany 2020 "Die letzte Blaue," benzinLAB, Germany 2019 "Kunstspur Essen," Open Studios, Essen, Germany C.A.R. Contemporary Art Ruhr Innovative Art, Essen, Germany **Bibliography** 2025 Rathe, Adam. "Is Wallpaper the Art World's Next Big Thing?," Town and Country Magazine, July 28 ([Link](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/home-decor/a65488335/artist-wallpaper-trend-2025/)) Porterfield, Carlie. "Independent art fair adjusts as market slows," The Art Newspaper, May 9 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/08/independent-art-fair-adjusts-as-market-slows)) 2023 Plotnikova, Valentina. "In Conversation With Kiriakos Tompolidis | Episode 24," Bode Gallery ([Link](https://bode.gallery/blog/55-in-conversation-with-kiriakos-tompolidis-episode-24/)) Labor Staff. "KIRIAKOS TOMPOLIDIS: GOD LOVES YOU (BUT NOT AS MUCH TO SAVE YOU)," Onda MX, October Mutual Art Staff. "Kiriakos Tompolidis: Don’t Forget to Live," MutualArt, September 02 Werther, Wilhelm. "Kiriakos Tompolidis," Woz Die Wochenzeitung, May Sutton, Benjamin. "'Just relax. You don’t have to have everything': Danny First shares advice for new collectors and his fantasy of sitting for Lucian Freud," The Art Newspaper, February 16 **Public Collections** North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND