Throne room

The Throne Room installation draws on the grandeur and symbolism of ancient spaces of authority, where kingship bridged the earthly and divine. Through the reinterpretation of certain objects, the installation invites a dialogue between antiquity and the present. 
Each piece is crafted from industrial materials—steel, stainless steel, and copper—transformed into golden forms. Gold, historically a symbol of wealth, power, and divine favor, becomes the central motif. Yet, the gilding in this work is a deliberate illusion: surface treatments mimic the brilliance of true gold, inviting viewers to question the nature of value and authenticity.
Throne Room bridges the sacred with the ironic. It honors traditions of craftsmanship and beauty while provoking reflection on what and who we choose to elevate in our world. Through these pretend-to-be-gold objects, the installation asks: Are the symbols of power and admiration we hold today genuine, or are they merely gilded illusions?
The installation will be presented for the first time at Alcova Milano 2025.

Born and raised in Crete, Theo Galliakis finished his Master’s degree in Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2018 with honours. Five years later, he obtained a second Master’s degree in Geo-Design, Design Academy Eindhoven. Based currently in both Greece and France, Theo Galliakis has worked for renowned offices like Kengo Kuma and Associates and Kizi Studio and his work spans a broad range of scales and typologies.
Galliakis’ work manifests the “simple expression of complex thought,” as Donald Judd once said, and his approach emphasizes spirituality and material transformation.