Hello, and welcome to Our Newsletter Issue #2
It is a pleasure to have you here.
Today's newsletter is slightly longer than usual, as I would like to introduce the series I have been actively developing since 2019,
Finding Closeness, as well as the first painting of the collection.
In many ways this is a project approached with an idealistic desire to remind myself, and you, kind reader, of the more gentle aspects of human nature. This collection of work is rooted in an effort to capture the intangible idea of human intimacy through its many various forms.
There is a bit of a catch though: these depictions of closeness are often layered over photo-transferred news articles which mostly discuss the ongoing climate crisis. (And, if you know me personally, you know that this is a great cause for concern in my brain). Why such darkness behind something so gentle you may ask? Well, because humanity is a multilayered phenomenon; there is good, and there is bad, and they both need to be acknowledged. Also, there’s something poetic about painting over these backgrounds and seeing them be overcome by scenes of closeness. The texture of the phototransfer remains beneath the paint, some words can still be deciphered; the scars of the world are ever present, and they must not be forgotten, but they must also not distract from the inherent human ability to display and experience this intimacy. Perhaps, if we all as humans could extend this intimacy toward our home, we could perhaps even save it?
We read & read but what do we actually take in? 2019
Oil and phototransfer on canvas
40.5 x 30.5 cm
Signed on back
This painting is available to collect, email info@ariettachandris.com to enquire about it
Pictured above, is the first painting I made for the Finding Closeness collection. It was my first experiment with the idea, so I approached the painting process openly, as I would a sketch. The brushstrokes are by design more visible in the flesh tones and the folds of the clothes. The background over the photo-transferred article is more of a wash, keeping the text prominent in the piece.
The man in this painting is solitary. Here, that sense of intimacy that runs through the whole series is found in the way he’s engrossed by his reading within the public domain of the London tube. As I frequently work from photos that I have taken, I remember the instance during which I took the reference image for this piece. The man who's photo I took and transformed into a painting, seemed relaxed and completely captivated. It reminded me of how I can be when I am transfixed by a text.
The title 'We read & read but what do we actually take in?' is somewhat rhetorical. What dowe take in? In a fast paced society where every day we are bombarded with information, news, events, how much of that remains in our memory and most importantly how much of it should remain?
This piece had the pleasure of being included in the exhibition In Connection at Domatio Gallery in Athens, last September. The exhibition was carefully curated by Mary Stefanouand the Domatio Gallery Team. Although I was unable to attend the exhibition personally due to this pesky little thing called Covid, I am incredibly grateful to have been able to exhibit my work in the city in which I grew up, and hope to do so again soon in the future.
'We read & read but what do we actually take in?' as it could look in your home.
This painting is available to collect, email info@ariettachandris.com to enquire about it
In our next newsletter, I'll be spotlighting my painting 'BPOFY'. You can check it out in advance on my website here. If you do, be sure to let me know your thoughts! I always enjoy hearing your interpretations of my work.
Until then, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Lots of love,
Arietta xx