Soula Sophocleous-Christou presents first solo exhibition

A new month brings new art events for the island’s culture-loving community. Though a few more weeks remain until February arrives, event organisers and art institutions have already began working on the month’s agenda.

Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery in Limassol begins the month with a new art showcase, the first solo exhibition of Soula Sophocleous-Christou. Titled Abundance, the exhibition will run for a week starting from February 2 and features a new series of works on canvas and mosaics.

“A strong voice in the world of mosaics in Cyprus,” says the gallery, “Soula Sophocleous-Christou belongs to the island’s post-war generation of artists. The exhibition evinces an urgent need for gratitude in everyday life as well as a sense of connectedness within humanity that can only be emboldened through all that is encompassed in nature, either humans, animals or plants. Sophocleous-Christou feels that the balance of coexistence and a sense of abundant gratitude can act as a catalyst in society.”

Having lived in both Limassol and Kilani village, the artist’s work draws inspiration from the village’s natural landscape, its stone-built houses and Byzantine churches. “An interpretation of nature is a persistent theme of this exhibition,” explains the gallery, “mostly abstract but also with a diligent application of colour through brushstrokes or tesserae, suggesting discernible patterns. In an ode to nature’s abundant beauty, playful tonal perspectives reflect the miracle of nature’s creation. Abstractions are rendered visible and portray the essence of things, not least the beauty in the mundane.

“The transcendent nature of the works in the exhibition aims to cultivate inner awareness and tranquillity,” they add. “Through the full spectrum of human experience, where light and darkness allude to the contrast that defines life, the viewer is invited to evaluate the smaller details of beauty within our quotidian existence. The focal point of Sophocleous-Christou’s works is that vital feeling of abundance dwelling within the most mundane of forms that can instigate a yearning for calmness and co-existence. Contrasts of colour, shape and tone reflect the artist’s eagerness to capture nature at its purest so as to enliven, awaken and challenge the senses.”

Twenty new pieces of work and five older ones will be presented in Abundance using a warm and vibrant colour spectrum. “The new canvases,” concludes the gallery, “are defined by bright colours with varied textures that evoke Cypriot nature in the forms of sunlight, rivers, fields and mountains, making this exhibition a meditation on the transience and delicate beauty of every day.”

Abundance

First solo exhibition by Soula Sophocleous-Christou. February 2-9. Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery, Limassol. Opening night: 6.30pm. www.lumiereartgallery.com. Tel: 25-344141