As Thessaloniki prepares for its tenure as European Capital of Culture, the city's new waterfront plaza now hosts Zongolopoulos' iconic stainless steel sculpture "Umbrellas" near the Macedonia Palace Hotel. This permanent installation – originally created for the 46th Venice Biennale (1995) where it floated in the Grand Canal – transforms the esplanade into a dynamic artistic landmark.
A poetic construction embodying its creator's inexhaustible vitality, the sculpture captivates Thessaloniki's residents and visitors alike, with many posing for photographs before the 13-meter-tall artwork. Its ever-changing dialogue with the seasons and weather conditions transforms both the space and surroundings, offering new visual experiences with each encounter.
"The 'Umbrellas' electrified Venice during the 46th Biennale (1995), where their presentation marked the centenary celebration of this prestigious institution. Locals marveled as the kinetic sculpture animated the Grand Canal with its rhythmic interplay of steel and water."
Giorgos Zongolopoulos expressed his excitement about the site where the “Umbrellas” were installed, describing the location as ideal for this purpose. “In Venice, they were placed in the sea, beneath the curb, while here there is openness, space, and a vast horizon, which makes the work seem as though it was born for this place,” he remarked.
The sculpture, positioned at a point in the city where the eye travels far without interruption from any obstacle, evokes different emotions in visitors each time they encounter it. Depending on the day, it might be paired with a grey, overcast sky, with winter drizzle, with fog that covers everything—or with the clear, sunlit sky revealed by the Vardaris wind, which unveils the shores of Katerini and the snow-covered Mount Olympus. Or even with the sunset, when the sun disappears into the waters of the Thermaic Gulf and paints the sky of Thessaloniki in a unique way.
The strong wind, which often blows in the New Waterfront area, was a concern for the artist. This issue was ultimately addressed with the installation of certain metallic lines that resemble falling rain but also serve a structural function by supporting the sculpture.
Another notable feature of the installation of the work on the New Waterfront is that, for the first time, it is presented illuminated—thanks to a special lighting study carried out for this purpose. The result brought great satisfaction to the artist, who was seeing his creation lit up at night for the first time. “There is a kind of magic that astonishes and satisfies me,” he said.
“The ‘Umbrellas’ seem to float against the black background,” he added with visible pleasure. Special white spotlights were used for this effect, emitting narrow vertical beams that, when reaching nine meters high, illuminate only the umbrellas. This lighting makes the thick vertical poles appear like lines of rain.
"Every artist carries a vision for their beloved creation – to see it installed in its destined space," Zongolopoulos reflected. "A work demands its own vital environment; it cannot thrive just anywhere. For the 'Umbrellas,' their first life began at the Venice Biennale, where I immersed them in the sea – there, they truly 'lived' and resonated. But here in Thessaloniki... it's transcendent. Is it the boundless horizon? The rigorous geometry of the waterfront promenade? Some ineffable quality of this place has captivated me beyond measure."
"At night," Zongolopoulos adds, his voice tinged with wonder, "the lighting conjures pure magic. When I first saw the 'Umbrellas' suspended against the black void of the horizon, it stole my breath—like witnessing a dream made tangible. This nocturnal transformation reveals the work's second life." He explains the technical poetry: "The horizontal stabilizers—necessary to anchor the sculpture against the wind—become unexpected compositional elements. Their tension with the vertical forms creates a new plastic dialogue, one that only reveals itself after dark."
Regarding the special work required for the installation of the sculpture in Thessaloniki, he noted: “This piece transcends the scale of a human-made construction.
A sculptor can work on a piece up to three meters tall. Beyond that, a type of collaboration begins in order to enlarge the work.
When I came to Thessaloniki, that collaboration took place with the entire technical staff of the Cultural Capital Organization, who proved to be very energetic, managing to set up the work in just a few days.
Some foundations were laid, as there was a need for anchoring it. The layout was studied, as was the circular base, which was designed and successfully composed right here—along with the railing placed on the seaward side.
All of this was designed locally, and I feel obliged to thank and acknowledge the contribution of all those people who worked tirelessly to complete the installation within two days.”
Zongolopoulos on the "Umbrellas": A Choreography of Numbers and Space "There's nothing arbitrary here," the sculptor revealed, tracing the sculpture's invisible geometry with his hands. "A precise rhythm connects the vertical columns and umbrella forms—a mathematical composition hidden within the poetry. Viewers must return, observe again, and let their imagination decode what the numbers whisper."
As for the inspiration behind the creation of the work, it was, as he said, “purely artistic.” “Sculpture is made with many volumes, but it is also made with lines.
Today, even a shadow can be sculpture. It is no longer defined solely by mass or solidity. There’s an evolution taking place, and gradually, an artist begins to create using lines. It doesn’t depend on volume alone.” He gave the example of Giacometti’s work, who, as Zongolopoulos explained, works with a smooth vertical line, but also with empty space. “That makes things a little more difficult to communicate, but if you pay attention, they have a certain plastic significance.”
Zongolopoulos' Waterfront Masterpiece: A Sculptural Full Circle The installation of this work along Thessaloniki's shoreline poetically completes the artist's thirty-year dialogue with the city—a conversation that began in 1966 with his first public sculpture at the Thessaloniki International Fair. Like bookends on a career, these two creations now frame: 1966: The debut work announcing a bold new voice 1997: The mature Umbrellas—a kinetic testament to artistic evolution This waterfront placement isn't merely a location, but the perfect punctuation to Zongolopoulos' lifelong exploration of how steel and space can mirror the soul of the Thermaic Gulf.
