Yannis Metzikof was born in Crete. He has studied in the School of Fine Arts of Athens. His teachers at the School include Yannis Moralis (painting) and Vassilis Vassileiadis (scenography). From the early 1980s he has participated in many exhibitions and performance art projects in Athens, Spain, Belgium, Russia and elsewhere. He has designed the set and costumes for performances of the National Theatre of Greece, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the National Opera of Greece, the Megaron Concert Hall of Athens, Theatro Technis, the Cyprus Theatre Organization and other private theatre groups.