Anna Maria Tsakali
As an Antidote
Past
October 4 – November 3, 2007
11 Haritos Street, Kolonaki
On Thursday, October 4, 2007 between 19:00 and 22:00, Kalfayan Galleries, 11 Haritos Str., Kolonaki, Athens, are presenting the opening of the exhibition of Anna Maria Tsakali, “As an Antidote”.
Centered on the theme of flowers, the work of Anna Maria Tsakali is a subtle examination of the concept of beauty. The artist’s objective is neither a faithful and realistic rendition of the subject nor a sterile depiction of the beauty of flowers. On the contrary, in Tsakali’s painting, this seemingly “harmless” subject becomes the symbol of existential reflection.
In her work there is a sense of balance between the sparseness and complexity of texture. Beginning with a chance application of color on the canvas, Tsakali at times selects parts of this initial texture of the work and at other times paints with an insistence on detail. Her works are a game between the void and fullness, chaos and form, what is said and what is left unsaid, light and dark, since the artist seeks to present the role of beauty as an antidote to the difficult conditions of daily reality.
Primary role in the narration of Tsakali is played by the contradictory co-existence of “beauty” and “ugliness” against the background of the contemporary urban landscape. These elements are opposed to one another but they also compliment each other: they acquire meaning through their co-existence. In some of the paintings, the flowers are depicted behind the windows of flower shops or behind the gates of parks. In others, the dark colors of the buildings of the metropolis are contrasted to the brilliant hues of the flowers. These images, with their intense divergent elements, become mirrors of feelings and trigger existential quests.
In Anna Maria Tsakali’s work, the enigmatic character of the plant kingdom is revealed. At the same time, the use of flowers as archetypal symbols of beauty poses, in artistic form, the question: How effective is “beauty” as an antidote to the difficulties of everyday life.
Artists
Anna Maria Tsakali
Anna Maria Tsakali was born in Piraeus in 1959. She studied painting at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris under the guidance of Leonardo Cremonini from 1983 to 1987. She lives and works in Athens and Paris.
In 2000, she received the Painting Award at the Salon de l’ACAM in Brécey, France.
In 2005, she was awarded by the Fondation Colas in Paris.
In 2014, she received a Painting Award at Saint Grégoire, France.
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