New exhibition to open in Paphos

The solo exhibition of visual artist Yiannis Sakellis will open at the Blue Iris Art Gallery in Paphos this weekend exploring the beauty of the female body and its subsequent decay. Titled A Carcass, the exhibition will open this Saturday and run until March 16.

By placing the female form in the spotlight, the artist explores the traditional perception of the female body as the epitome of beauty. His artworks also focus on the decay of the female body however, essentially serving as a study of death that pertains to the general human condition.

“The artworks in the exhibition engage with Charles Baudelaire’s poem ‘Une Charogne’ (A Carcass),” say organisers, “and delve into the perspectives of the relationship between beauty and mortality. They depict the nude female body in contrasting conditions, showcasing the allure of life and the inevitable embrace of death. This contradiction challenges conventional perceptions of beauty while reflecting the full range of human experience.”

Taking inspiration from Baudelaire’s ability to discern beauty even amidst decay, Sakellis expresses an anxiety through his work that arises through the theme of death and this conflicting feeling of everlasting life, mortality and memory. His artworks blend skeletons with the living form and flesh, inviting the viewers to look beyond the initial layer of death and towards life and vice versa.

A Carcass

Solo exhibition of visual artist Yiannis Sakellis. March 2-16. Blue Iris Art Gallery, Paphos. Opening night: 7pm. Monday – Friday: 11am -1pm. 3pm-5pm. Saturday (by appointment): 11am – 1pm. Tel: 99-310893