4 minute read
Emotion Lines
Charoula Nikolaidou EMOTION LINES
The publication entitled “Emotion Lines” by Charoula Nikolaidou materialized on the occasion of the namesake solo exhibition that took place from 1st till 17th of March 2023 in collaboration with The Blender Gallery and Varvara Roza Galleries in Gallery 8, London.
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Contributors:
Curation and Production: The Blender Gallery and Varvara Roza Galleries
Texts: Efthimis Lazongas, Art Historian (Sorbonne University – Paris I – Pantheon, History of Art Professor at ASFA, Master’s in Visual Arts)
Catalogue Design: Anifactum Design Studio
Images: Colour Consulting Group (CCG)
CURATORiAL VIEW
In Charoula Nikolaidou’s painted worlds, the eroticism, the inwardness and the ecstasy of existence are praised. According to Nancy, the scene is adequately described in terms of the body: “The body is a scene. A meaning in action,” which leads us to presume a performance of form empowers the narrative of the drama. Where that which is being done is the extensibility and the ecstasy of “Being”. Alternatively it could possibly be seen that the “Body – Scene,” is a primitive and elemental (if not archetypal) force.
Charoula Nikolaidou’s paintings, gestural and instinctive, are documented in a direct way. Moving on a purely personal and experiential axis, where the perceptual elements make obvious differences. The lyrical flow of her lines encircles the vibrating bodies in continuous whirlpools. The reprinting of the scriptures alternates into a frenzy trying to absorb the movement. They overlap and repeat in a kind of self-regulating design. In this way the notion of time penetrates deep into her work. Each line, every movement denotes time; a historical testimony of her act = palimpsest.
But what matters draw the project’s alignment with the improvisation? According to G. P. Pephani; an improvised action excludes the existence of a plan that guides it, while the plan involves minimizing possible improvisational moves. But does the continuity of the project come from the intersection of an improvisation? Does any design, i.e. cohesive timing and coordinated action, ultimately require the discontinuity, the cut and the rift? The relationship that develops between the pulsating forms and the empty space is contradictory and complementary at the same time. The view of Ch. Nikolaidou expresses the notion of silence, reminding the metaphysical landscapes of De Chirico.
In the end, Charoula Nikolaidou can be assessed as an active stage where the body and the spirit converge and diverge, the external and internal world, love - loneliness, emphatically emphasising the animosity of life and the poetry of painting, as a cathartic value against this agony.
Efthimis Lazongas, Art Historian (Sorbonne University – Paris I – Pantheon, History of Art Professor at ASFA, Master’s in Visual Arts).
Charoula Nikolaidou Artist Statement
I am a Greek contemporary visual artist. Finding inspiration in my own encounters with other people, my body of work is rooted in exploring gender and sexuality through the iconography of the human body.
In my practice, I cherish everyday social life and my fictional characters chill, sit and chat; sometimes they hang out in groups and sometimes they enjoy a moment of solitude. I mostly use exaggerated colours, lines and forms attempting to subvert expectations and perceptions of the human body, creating "luminous" paintings that incorporate vibrant colours in both figures and spaces.
Through my abstract figuration and layered portraits, I invite the viewer to rethink how bodies behave in relationships and to focus on the way they inhabit the spaces they live in. My work is a way to think about the body from the inside out. From one project to another, I reimagine how to portray the figure, with the aim of challenging the audience's perception, leaving some sort of narrative to be created by the viewer afterwards.
Solo Exhibitions
2023 “Emotion Lines”, Gallery 8 (The Blender Gallery x Varvara Roza Galleries) London, UK
2022 “Unknown Faces", Abghari Gallery, Marbella, Spain
2019 "Situations", Is Not Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus
2015 “Cityscapes” Artion Galleries, Athens 2014
2014 “La Rue des Belles Filles” Nest Galleries, Geneva, Switzerland
2014 “Beyond Beauty, Artion Galleries, Thessaloniki
2012 “Urban Ladscapes”, Artion Galleries, Athens
Art Fairs
2022 UVNT Art Fair, Madrid, Spain
2022 Marbella Gallery Weekend Art Fair, Marbella, Spain
She has also participated in more than 20 group shows
AVIGNON GIRLS PARTYING
Dimensions: 149cm X 138cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
ALWAYS
Dimensions: 125cm X 125cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
FLYING
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
THE PARTNER
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
UNKNOWN FACES
Dimensions: 130cm X 113cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
ALMOST THERE
Dimensions: 100cm X 100cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
SOUNDSCAPE
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
SO RELAXED
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
IS IT A ROSE
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
PRIVATE
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
MAKE A WISH
Dimensions: 140cm X 140cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
SURPRISED
Dimensions: 125cm X 125cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
I’M YOUR QEEN
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
CHERISHED
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
I’M YOUR QEEN
Dimensions: 130cm X 130cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
THIS WAY
Dimensions: 150cm X 90cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
THE PRIDE
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
AMBITIOUS
Dimensions: 69cm X 60cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
THE PROMISE
Dimensions: 130cm X 130cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2022
ESCAPISM DIPTYCH
Dimensions: 200cm X 160cm / Media: Acrylics, oil pastels, ink and spray paint on canvas / Year: 2023
