Vassilisa
My body of work explores ideas about non acceptance of mortality and reality overall and masking reality. The exhibition space is designed to guide the viewer through this journey, reinforcing the idea that escapism is not a departure from reality but rather a deeper reflection of it. My later work explores the idea of film as a way of escaping reality however I stay within the gothic theme so I link my work to the theme of vampirism. My first two bodies of work aim to show angels as a symbol of immortality. The human obsession with immortality is a way of escapism of reality. So is Art in all of its forms. As a film student, I view film as a way of escapism. The main idea of my exhibition is that fantasy might actually be the true reflection of reality. And my piece “The film is about Vampires” is about breaking the fourth wall between film and reality.
My piece Still alive is a 3D angel wing of a grave angel made of clay and painted with acrylic paint to give it more volume, movement and a feeling that it’s alive. It was inspired by the classicism status of angels. For “It’s still beating” I drew inspiration from Anne Rice’s novels, gothic literature. It is an oil painting - a realistic portrait of a conventionally attractive vampire, who is a character from the film “Interview with the vampire” holding a bloody human heart and listening as if it is still beating. The vampire who symbolises death is treating the human heart which represents life, as a toy. He is mocking mortality because he is immortal. The use of blood and the low key lighting was heavily inspired by Caravaggio. There is also an oil painting, of a zoomed in shot from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1991), however the rose was added into the hand. The painting romanticizes and humanises Dracula who is the embodiment of darkness according to the novel. The idea of this painting is to show how something evil becomes very appealing and drags into the darkness. The viewer can only see the silhouette shadow of Dracula and his hand which creates a sense of mystery. The painting is also inspired by vintage theatre and movie posters, same as “The film is about Vampires” which also has the vibrant colours and high contrast as the 1930s-1950s film posters. Additionally, as I previously mentioned, my work is heavily inspired by Anne Rice’s novels, so I also included a large acrylic painting of the Basilica St Marco in Venice at night since most of the events in her novels happen in Venice.
My space for exhibition is L- shaped and it’s next to a window which gives me natural light coming from the left hand side. The audience can walk into my space from one side and the first work that they see is It’s still beating because it’s facing the entrance. It's in the middle of the wall and it’s the second largest. On it’s right there’s Shdw of Venice painting which is placed in the darker corner because the lack of light makes the it’s black background more smooth and less reflective. The wing sculpture and its extension piece titled “Cyber Angel” are placed on the side and the painting Cyber Angel is placed above the sculpture to show their link. Also, since the wing was inspired by the grave angels it is standing on a small black stand that resembles a gravestone with its shape.
My body of work delves into the theme of escapism, exploring how film and art serve as a means to transcend reality. Drawing inspiration from artists like Caravaggio, whose use of dramatic lighting and rich color influenced my approach, gothic literature which shaped my portrayal of vampires, I examine fascination with immortality. Each piece contributes to this narrative, from the angel wing sculpture symbolizing eternal life to paintings that blur the lines between horror and beauty. My exhibition does not have any concrete message, I want it to be more of a pathway for the audience into my inner world and into the vampiric universe that I created, similarly to Anne Rice.
Ghoul’s side profile (2024)
Charcoal and graphite
20 x 15 cm
This is a charcoal and graphite sketch of a model that I first wanted to use for “it’s still beating”. This person matches the description of a character from Anne Rice’s novels. I was inspired by the classicism portraits, the composition and the overall manner in which they were drawn. I can link this work to Edward Robert Hughes sketches which depict side profiles of young, conventionally attractive men and women. But for this piece I drew inspiration for many classicism and romanticism artists.
The film is about Vampires (December 2024)
Oil on canvas
50 x 60 cm
I was looking at vintage vampire movie posters since the main characteristic of my work is to combine cinema and visual art. The older vampire films and posters use very vibrant, contrasting colours that make the red blood stand out. I was inspired by Basil Gogos, an artist who did movie posters. They had realism however not photographic. The woman in the painting is holding the director’s cutting board in order to show the concept of breaking the 4th wall and showing the connection between film and the real world.
Hand of Darkness (February 2025)
Oil on canvas
21 x 30 cm
An oil painting of a zoomed in shot from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1991), however the rose was added into the hand. The painting romanticizes and humanises Dracula who is the embodiment of darkness according to the novel. The idea of this painting is to show how something evil becomes very appealing and drags into the darkness. The viewer can only see the silhouette shadow of Dracula and his hand which creates a sense of mystery. The painting is also inspired by vintage theatre posters.
