Greek Mother
The Exhibition
Greek Mother is the first solo exhibition by emerging artist Ariadne Strofylla.
The body of work presented negotiates the lines and limits that condition relationships, as well as the ambiguity that characterises life in general.
The artist employs art to start an open-ended dialogue, practically showcasing that art is accessible and essential in order to negotiate life issues, in particular the ones that words often fail to express.
In more detail
Using Greek Mother as a point of reference Ariadne Strofylla explores relationships; the ones between people, objects, everyday situations, the surrounding world as well as the undefined relationships between all these. The Greek Mother appears as a symbol and reference to the feminine, the domestic, the stereotype and the rediscovery of all that through a play within our familiar and distant heritage. She embodies notions of sexuality, distance, proximity, youth, maturity, letting go and rearranging, as a force that negotiates them all.
The artist’s inner dreamlike language consists of symbols and forms that -almost obsessively- combine to create her visual alphabet. Recurring motifs, such as human “encounters”, natural elements, motions and the study of light and shadow shape her imagery, which is also characterised by suggestive musicality. Ambiguity is a key characteristic of Ariadne’s work – ambiguity of gender, emotion, intention of action.
The series consists of drawings, paintings, sculptures and ceramic works, which complement each other. The works are connected through an unexpected, self-imposed «constraint»: they were created using a single colour -highly charged and at the same time soothingly familiar- «Greek» blue. The monochrome scheme helps direct the focus to the narrative.