Biography

Peter D. Gerakaris is an American interdisciplinary artist whose vibrant paintings, public installations, origami sculptures, and mosaics explore nature–culture motifs through a global lens. Based in Cornwall CT, Gerakaris was raised a free-range child in New Hampshire and later maintained New York City studios for nearly two decades. He earned a BFA from Cornell University and an MFA from Hunter College where he received the Tony Smith Prize. Gerakaris has completed major public commissions for institutions including Cornell Tech, Bergdorf Goodman, the Berkshire Botanical Garden, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program, culminating in a 116-foot permanent installation at PS101K in Brooklyn.

His work is held in numerous permanent collections such as the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program (Gabon), Capital One, Citibank, Roanoke College, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden, as well as prominent private collections worldwide such as Beth Rudin DeWoody and the William Lim Living Collection in Hong Kong. Recipient of honors including The Nature Conservancy’s Andy Warhol Preserve Residency Grant and the EcoArt Project Award, Gerakaris has exhibited internationally at venues including the Museum of Arts and Design, the Bronx Museum, the Hudson River Museum, Wave Hill, the National Academy of Fine Arts, the James Museum, and the Mykonos Biennale. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Financial Times, and W Magazine, and presented in solo exhibitions at Cornell Tech, Wave Hill, Google NYC, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Gerakaris's origami & accordion sculptures feature organic, abstract, and dreamlike imagery meticulously folded into sculptural forms that encourage viewer participation. Typically displayed on mirrored plinths, ever-changing reflections reveal multiple perspectives while encouraging viewers to play with the many possible display configurations.

While each work is a self-contained “micro-sculpture”, the small figurines simultaneously indicate the artist’s ultimate vision to transform these works into large-scale public sculptures & pavilions. The origami sculptures been featured in many international exhibits including thel Mykonos Biennale, LongHouse Reserve, Wave Hill, the Berkshire Botanical Garden — not to mention galleries in Taipei, Seoul, and Hiroshima — in addition to inclusion in institutional collections such as the Schomburg Center and the William Lim Living Collection in Hong Kong. The sculptures are also showcased in numerous books and publications, including "Art du Livre Origami" by Jean-Charles Trebbi, the LA Review of Books PubLab, and much more.