Grigorios Semitekolo was born in Athens in 1935. He had his first art lessons with Panos Sarafianos and then enrolled at The School of Fine Art, Athens, studying painting in the workshop of Yiannis Moralis. He continued his studies in Germany where he presented his first solo exhibition in Munich in 1962.

From an early stage in his career, his artistic activities were not strictly confined within the boundaries of painting, but were expanded to contemporary music and other innovative forms of artistic expression.

His acquaintance with the composer Jani Christou, influenced largely his development and had quite an impact on his presence as an artist, especially after his impressive performance in Christou’s works ‘Epikiklos’ and Anaparastasis III-The Pianist’. These shows were presented in Athens (1969), and other Greek and European cities, as well as the United States.

He developed a private painting language with symbolic images of objects or abstract motifs, evocative colors and hard-light, creating surreal, dream like compositions.

In 1974 he firstly presented his characteristic life size white figures, inexpressive ‘dummies’, which where since included in many of his ritualistic performances.

In 1985 he premiered his performance ‘Cosmic Dissecting Room’, later presented at the Montvillers Festival in 1990 and the Athens Concert Hall in 1992, whereas in 1993 was made into a movie by Vassilis Vafeas.

His works are in a number of private and public collections such as The National Gallery, Athens.