Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery is delighted to present ‘Abundance,’ the first solo exhibition of Soula Sophocleous-Christou, featuring a new series of works on canvas and mosaics.
A strong voice in the world of mosaics in Cyprus, 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.
Raised in Limassol and in Koilani, the artist has drawn inspiration from the village’s natural landscape, its stone-built houses and Byzantine churches of unique artistic tradition and quality of light. An interpretation of nature is a persistent theme of this exhibition, 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 tranquility. 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. Sophocleous-Christou’s works elevate daily gratitude to the level of aesthetic experience in a direct conversation with the world and history. Their focal point is that vital feel 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.
In this exhibition at Lumière, the artist presents 20 new works and 5 older ones across a vibrant colour spectrum from terracotta orange, ochre, gold hues suggestive of sun rays, turquoise tones, deep blues, cypress greens and earthen browns, with a renewed effervescence in strikingly saturated colours emitting radiance and sensuality. The new canvases are defined by bright colors 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.
