Published: October 2025

Keywords:
Soul; Sensation; Time; Artistic creation; Aesthetics; Existential experience; Interdisciplinarity; Language and art; Theatrical temporality; Phenomenology of perception; Polyphonic dialogue, Psychotherapy, Philosophy,Deleuze, Vermeer, Spinoza, Foucault .

Vasilis Papavassileiou (1949–2025)

Vasilis Papavassileiou was born in Thessaloniki in 1949 and grew up in Serres, Greece. Although he initially studied Medicine at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, he soon abandoned his medical studies to devote himself entirely to the theatre. He trained at the Drama School of the Art Theatre “Karolos Koun,” where he was deeply influenced by the teachings and artistic vision of Karolos Koun himself.

From the early 1970s onward, Papavassileiou emerged as one of the most prominent figures of modern Greek theatre — an actor, director, writer, and translator — combining rigorous stage practice with profound intellectual inquiry. He directed and performed in numerous works from both the classical and contemporary repertoire (Sophocles, Shakespeare, Molière, Brecht, Anagnostakis, among others), always treating theatre as a space of reflection, civic dialogue, and cultural consciousness.

In addition to his extensive directing work, he translated and adapted a wide range of dramatic and literary texts, leaving a distinct mark on the evolution of Greek theatrical language. His collaborations with leading theatres and artists, his philosophical approach to performance, and his unwavering dedication to the art of theatre earned him great respect across generations.

For his lifelong contribution to the arts, he was honored by the French Republic with the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Vasilis Papavassileiou passed away on June 6, 2025, at the age of 76, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, thought, and creative excellence that continues to inspire.

Dimitris Dimitriadis

Dimitris Dimitriadis (born 1944, Thessaloniki) is one of the most important contemporary Greek writers and translators. He studied theatre and film in Brussels, where he lived for several years. His work spans drama, fiction, poetry, and essays, exploring themes of identity, desire, power, and language.

His first play, I Die as a Country (1978), is considered a landmark of modern Greek theatre and has been translated and performed internationally. Among his other notable works are The Beginning of Life, Process of Decay, The Human Sacrifice, Purgatory, Insenso, Lethe, and The Dead Flag-Bearer. He has also translated works by Jean Genet, Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht, and Pierre de Marivaux.

Dimitriadis’s writing is marked by philosophical depth, linguistic intensity, and a profound engagement with the human body and existence. His plays have been staged in major international festivals and studied in academic contexts around the world.

Vangelis Dimitreas

Vangelis Dimitreas (born 1948, Athens) is a distinguished Greek painter and visual artist. He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1967–1972) under Nikos Nikolaou and Yiannis Moralis, and continued his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Since the 1970s, he has developed a body of work marked by strong social and political engagement, blending elements of realism, pop art, and conceptual art.

He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Athens), the Venice Biennale (1976), and the Alexandria Biennale, as well as in major galleries and cultural institutions. His work encompasses painting, installations, and socially oriented projects that explore collective memory, power structures, and human identity.

He lives and works in Athens.

Abstract

The text presents a transcribed conversation between Dimitris Dimitriadis, Vangelis Dimitreas, and Vasilis Papavassileiou, centered on the concepts of Soul, Sensation, and Time. Coming from distinct artistic disciplines—literature, painting, and theatre—the three creators approach these notions not as abstract philosophical categories, but as lived experiences of creation and existence. Dimitriadis explores the linguistic and existential dimensions of the soul as infinite movement; Dimitreas focuses on its sensory and material manifestation within the artwork; while Papavassileiou conceives theatrical time as the space where soul and body encounter each other. The dialogue thus unfolds as a polyphonic reflection on human experience, where the sensible and the intelligible, the individual and the collective, are interwoven into a unified experience of being.

Editorial Note from Metalogos:

Then as now, this remarkable talk — this dialogue among the three inspired thinkers — continues to move and inspire us. Their dense, resonant words give rise to many associations and references.

With the hope that readers, too, will find inspiration in this dialogue, the Editorial Team, at this moment in time, can only add a few (sub)notes that open certain major themes for discussion. Our wish and intention is that, eventually — with the contribution of all those interested — a more complete commentary will emerge, one that dares to accompany the above text.