Art For Relief

“For me, this image of a little statue, inspired by Cycladic art and placed in a fictional tropical forest acts as a guardian, a symbol of protection and hope.” - Emi Avora, 2021

Born in Athens and currently based in Singapore, Emi Avora is drawing subject matter from her everyday life in Asia as well as her Greek ancestry with a focus on the interior and still life. Her paintings are entering a dialog with modernist historical canons as well as ponder on our ambiguous relationship to colonial narratives, exoticism, taste and the everyday. Humour, curiosity and anxiety are elements that occupy her compositions. Sometimes dreamy, sometimes intense and with the use of light on the driving seat, her work allows space for invention, creating a gap between looking and making, between the real and the imaginary. Everyday observations become exaggerated through the use of colour and change of scale, focusing on what surprises her or grasps her attention. Stemming from reality, observed situations are weaved into fictional compositions that allow a multitude of readings. Equally, the very process of her mark making opens up a platform to investigate painting’s power to transcend imagery by breaking it down to the basics of colour, shape, pattern and composition. 

Accolades
MA, Royal Academy Schools, 1999-2002. BA, Oxford University, 1996-1999

www.emiavora.com @erasmiavora