Small Version Of ‘The Runner’ Appears On Myconos

A few years ago, Costas Varotsos’s emblematic glass sculpture “The Runner” had to cover the distance from Omonia Square in central Athens, where it was originally placed, to a tiny square facing the Hilton Athens Hotel, where it stands today.

These days a 3-meter-tall copy of the 12-meter original gazes out over the Aegean Sea from a luxury property on the cosmopolitan Cycladic island of Myconos.

Turkish businessman Ugur Ozkan had stayed at the Hilton Athens in the past and observed the original “Runner” from his room. Finding himself under its spell, he subsequently went in search of the Greek artist and commissioned him to create a smaller version of the work for his Myconos villa.

“Ever since the story broke in the local press a few days ago my phones have been ringing nonstop,” the artist told Kathimerini, adding that he “never expected that something which was created two years ago would become the subject of such publicity today. In fact, I had never been commissioned to create a smaller version of a large-scale public sculpture. ‘The Runner’ has an urban quality about it; it is a work especially conceived for display in the city. It had never crossed my mind that it could grace a private residence. It took me a while to execute, but when I saw the end result and the exact spot that was chosen for its display, I must admit that I liked it. Especially when the wind is blowing and the sea gets rough.”

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Story by Margarita Pournara