At her exhibition “A Brief Retrospective” at Gallery ALMA in Trikala, Theofylaktou will present selected works from series created over the past 10 years or so. Works on paper in pencil or collage, on canvas, using techniques that have preoccupied her obsessively throughout her artistic exploration. An excerpt from Niki Loizidi’s text offers a glimpse into the broader scope of her artistic exploration. Eleni Theofylaktou lives in Thessaloniki and is a lecturer at the School of Fine Arts of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Untitled, Oil pastel on paper, 21 x 30 cm
A few words about the happy days of Eleni Theofylaktou
The playful Eleni
Without a doubt, it is not so easy to write a convincing or at least interesting review of the entire artistic work of Eleni Theophylaktou. Of course, we could say that this applies more or less to all artistic creations—important or less important—that are the subject of “serious” theoretical analysis. The problem, however, with the bizarre and provocative visual narratives of Eleni Theofilaktou is that the “serious intentions” of the theoretical analyst are constantly trapped in a space, or rather in an imaginary setting, in which narcissistic transformations, timeless chimeras, transformations of the artistic ego in relation to famous figures of art, poetry, and culture, and finally, self-deprecating comments that constitute a cunning and successful defense of herself against any kind of well-meaning but naive critical approach. Because cunning, the ever-playful cunning, is a key component of her poetic vision. I could, however, argue that Helen's self-deprecating humor or witty irony is not merely a defense against the constant ambiguity and complexity of everyday life, but a courageous, somewhat arrogant, and intelligent acceptance of the conclusion: “I am exactly what I make fun of.” Personally, I have every reason to believe this because she subverts without lecturing and, as one can see, keeps a clear distance from any kind of theoretical categorization even though her art has a strong social character. Playing along, I enjoy contrasting the compositions inspired by the American poet Emily Dickinson (gilded period frames, portraits, worn urban wallpaper, a world sinking into supposed norms and dubiousorder) with a wonderful miniature composition she sent me on a handmade card, depicting a young girl playing jump rope upside down, completely reversing the basic rules of the game, but also of gravity.
Niki Loizidi,
Honorary Professor, Athens School of Fine Arts
