In honour of her first solo exhibition, the Kooness team interviewed the Cypriot artist Maria Alexandrou about her biggest inspirations . Explore all daily art news from the international art world. Read the most recent art news from Kooness Magazine, the best resource for contemporary art.
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In art, in modern sculpture, in architecture, in music, in technology and in general, mathematics has a dominant role. A graduate of the School of Applied Mathematics, as well as the Department of Visual and Applied Arts, the artist Maria Alexandrou pursues the possibility of combining mathematics in art. What she believes is that certain mathematical curves have the ability to evoke different emotions depending on the quantitative relationships and ratios they express. These also convey the concept of order, rhythm and inner harmony. The geometric forms that she seeks to include in her visual research form such curved surfaces. The forms disappear and move into infinity. The overlapping of the shapes as well as the quantitative and qualitative contrasts, cause the illusion of movement and depth. In the "Sequence of Color" series, the main idea is to create a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface, leaving what causes the work to the free viewing.
Kooness: How do you make your artworks?
Maria Alexandrou: At the beginning of my research, I attempted to use different mediums and materials. I concluded that acrylics, with their unique properties, was the best material to use to achieve the desired effect of flat colours on the canvas. The preparation of the canvas always plays an important role to that effect. The shaping of the different geometric elements is achieved without the use of tape. I also use pencil and marker pens to complete my compositions.
K: What are you inspired by and where do you find inspiration?
MA: The world around us is changing rapidly and that influences my work consciously and unconsciously. My inspiration comes from the movement, depth, geometric shapes, curves and harmony in nature, mathematics, architecture and sculptures. I am inspired by various mathematical functions and sequences, by Euclidean geometry and by numerous events that are happening around me. During my studies, I read several publications about the management of form and colour and also researched historical works of art from the early 20th century and realised that my inspirations also affected the work of many important international artists.
K: Describe your series
MA: As a mathematician and visual artist, my artistic objective is to combine the mathematical language with visual arts. My artistic quest is related to mathematical logic, harmony, quantitative and qualitative contrast, movement, depth, colour, lines and aesthetics. The straight lines, the curves, the geometric shapes, the different layers are beautiful in an absolute and eternal way. The geometric forms, the lines and the surfaces of colour are vanishing and tend to move into infinity. The overlapping of shapes, quantitative and qualitative contrasts, the type and width of lines create the illusion of movement, chaos and endless space. The main idea is to create a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface freeing the viewer’s imagination and emotions.
K: Is there any additional hobby or job that allows you to develop your creative skills?
MA: I am a graduate of the University of Crete - Department of Applied Mathematics - and the School of Fine Arts - Department of Visual and Applied Arts - of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, majoring in painting. Due to my studies, my artistic research is a combination and coexistence of these two disciplines. My job at a private tutoring school, as a mathematician, helps me in my artistic research because of the constant study and the daily communication with my students. Through their questions, related or not to mathematics, new reflections, quests and reflections are created to me daily.
Cover image: Maria Alexandrou. Fn, 1202 & Periodic Motion. Courtesy of The O Gallery
Written by: Kooness
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