Eleftheria Tseliou gallery is happy to present Rena Papaspyrou's solo show 'Shadows 1972 - 1981'. The exhibition opens on Tuesday, October 12 and will be on display till the 4th of December 2021.
The exhibition consists of works from the 70s, many of which are on view for the first time. These works mark the beginning for the 'Episodes in Matter' series, a defining chapter in the long and significant course of the emblematic Rena Papaspyrou.
'A series of small drawings served as a starting point for this work. I drew pebbles which had holes through them, studying the relationships between voids and solids, and the shades formed as the light passed through the holes. Then I began projecting them in our living room (I later made a series of dryotypes). Their shades grew enormous in size as they were projected on the ceiling, the wall, the door, the furniture and all the household objects which they distorted.
Looking more closely at the effect of light and shade on these objects and surfaces I was faced with the problem of the autonomy of materials. That is, how to safeguard the uniqueness of each material (wood, stucco, cardboard etc.) both in the light and in the shade without allowing it to disappear under a coat of paint (colour or ink). I study the surface of each material as I would a painting or a landscape. On the materials I use for my paintings I have intervened as little as possible. I work with pencil which allows the 'happenings' of the surface to show through, accentuating them without obliterating their uniqueness.'
Rena Papaspyrou, Design in Greece 10 / 1979, p. 155, publisher: Orestis Doumanis.
Curated by: Christoforos Marinos
Audiovisual installation: Makis Faros