“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

― Rachel Carson, ‘Silent Spring’

IN HER SOLO art exhibition at the Pnevmatiki Estia Voulas (Cultural Hub of Voula), Stella Sevastopoulos presents her works which capture the rhythms of nature, in figurative but also abstract paintings.  The uplifting, joyful and therapeutic effect οf nature is captured via expressive and impressionistic brushwork, with the aim of transferring this experience to the viewer. Environmental concerns are also evident in some of the works, while symbolism and imagination play a role in others. The exhibition runs June 24-25, and the official opening will be on June 24, 7-10pm. This event is under the aegis of the ‘Hypatia’ Cultural Society of Voula, whose President is Iphigeneia Amorgianou. Α major sponsor of this exhibition is the United Winemaking Agricultural Cooperative of Samos (UWC Samos).

At the core of Stella Sevastopoulos’s art, is the experience of nature: Whether it be the sea, plants, shells, flowers, landscapes or other aspects. Nature has been the great teacher of many artists, especially of Cezanne, Monet and the Impressionists. But the need to look towards nature once again, in this day and age, comes part and parcel with environmental concerns, considering that today, purely natural scenes, without the inkling of a human footprint, are becoming harder to find: “I am drawn to painting natural scenes οf an unadulterated nature, that might not exist for future generations. A native American proverb says ‘We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children’. Many artists, when they turn their eyes to the natural environment today, are documenting what we are in danger of losing, in this age of the Anthropocene, of climate change, global warming and pollution” explains Sevastopoulos. 

In Sevastopoulos’s work, the rhythms of nature are evident in the ripples and waves of the sea, the psithurism of trees and the musicality of nature as rendered via brushwork, but also the way that groups of flower varieties spread across a field. When humans, or human constructs are included, they are small, in order to emphasize the natural order of things, while symbolism and imagination also take over some of the works.

In the summer especially, Sevastopoulos would capture natural scenes ‘en plein air’, via the medium of watercolour. Later in the studio, these watercolours inspired the creation of other works: “When painting in the open air, the rendering of a natural scene which is alive, constantly changing, susceptible to changing light and the elements, can be a race against time. But the lens of the human eye picks up colours and details that the camera cannot see. And then there is the emotional effect and the human experience of nature, that is captured via the painting process. Once back in the studio, this experience inspires other works, in which I transpose those rhythms and colours, as well as some of her teachings, as I perceive them at least. Apart from her eternal truths, nature’s complex fusion of chaos and order is open to various interpretations”, explains the artist.

Sevastopoulos was born and raised in London, studied in the UK, and moved to Athens in 1994, however her urban environment was always interspersed with natural scenes from her parent’s native land, the island of Samos. This island, along with other places that she visited, or had access to (e.g. Euboea, the sea and flora of Athenian southern suburbs and of Attica, Tatoi Forest, London parks), imbued her to study aspects and elements of nature and to render the experience of nature via painting.

WRITER’S MEETING

Within the framework of the exhibition ‘Rhythms of Nature’, four writers (Ifigeneia Amorgianou, Nikos Sevastopoulos, Maria Paravantes and Tania Kollias) will get together on Sunday, June 25, 7-8pm for a short discussion on their books and the inspiration behind them.

STELLA SEVASTOPOULOS BIO:

Stella Sevastopoulos (Στέλλα Σεβαστοπούλου), studied Art, English literature and History of Art at Harrow College of Art, Lancaster University and Reading University. She has worked as a freelance journalist for various publications and was Arts Editor at the ‘Athens News’ newspaper. She writes/runs the site ‘Art Scene Athens’. Although she has been creating art throughout her life, the first time she exhibited her work was in 2018, at Placebo, Glyfada. She has participated in over 30 group art exhibitions (at art spaces/galleries such as FokiaNou Art Space, Tsichritzis Foundation for the Visual Arts, artzone42 gallery, Chilli art gallery, European Centre Athens, Hellenic-French Αssociation (League), Black Duck Multiplarte, exhibitions and projects organized by Dimitris Lazarou but also online exhibitions), and has been commissioned both paintings (e.g. for an exhibition organized by the National Theatre of Northern Greece) and illustrations (e.g. for writer Kathryn Koromylas’s ‘The Joyful Practice of Stoic Death Writing’). In 2022 Sevastopoulos was invited to participate in an exhibition in the UK, curated by Lucian Freud’s model, artist Sue Tilley, and later that year was invited to participate in the first artists residency at Domus Art Gallery, in Athens. That same year, her seascapes were chosen for a project organized by the Vardas Fashion company, entitled ‘Making Summer Memories’, and she was invited to participate in an exhibition organized by writer Vicky Kosmopoulou, which explored the theme of Kosmopoulou’s book ‘EKTI’. In 2023 the artist participated in an exhibition at the Tsichritzis Foundation and at FokiaNou Art Space. Sevastopoulos organises the series of annual group exhibitions ‘Art and Creativity’, in collaboration with the Hypatia Cultural Society of Voula.

UNITED WINEMAKING AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE OF SAMOS

The United Winemaking Agricultural Cooperative of Samos (EOS Samos, or UWC Samos) is one of the oldest Cooperatives in Greece and is among the 10 largest wineries of Greece! It was founded in 1934 and since then until today, it collects, vinifies and markets the entire wine production of its member viticulturists. It is constantly modernizing and investing in technology and know-how, combining them harmoniously with the tradition of viticulture and winemaking. At the same time, it implements a series of public benefit actions while actively participating in cultural events that concern or are related to the island of Samos and the long historical journey of viticulture. To date, the wines of EOS Samos have collected hundreds of awards in international competitions (close to 1,000 awards), while the greatest distinction of Samian Muscat wines is given by the choice of consumers worldwide.

‘HYPATIA’ CULTURAL SOCIETY OF VOULA

The ‘Hypatia’ Cultural Society of Voula was founded in 2018, with the aim of providing cultural activities that further cultural education in the southern suburbs of Athens. This is achieved via seminars, cultural day trips and trips to museums and theatres, plus the organization of art exhibitions. The annual ‘Art and Creativity’ exhibition which takes place mid-October, has become a staple cultural event of the southern suburbs and brings together a wide variety of creative expression. The Society also has a charitable aim, by supporting the Children’s Village SOS of Vari. This is done through the organization of bazaars with unique handcrafted objects.

•             ‘Rhythms of Nature’, runs June 24 & 25 at Pnevmatiki Estia Voulas (Agiou Ioannou & Nafsikas streets, Voula, 16673, in the park). Times: Saturday, June 24 10am-10pm; Sunday, June 25 10am-9pm. Official inauguration: Saturday, June 24, 7-10pm.

•             For more info:

Email: stelsevas@yahoo.com

http://www.stellasevastopoulos.com