The many shades of Eleni.
GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS was the vibrant debut show of Sydney artist, Eleni Ioakimidis. After sitting down with Eleni, I learned that her bold colour palettes and orchestrated chaos comes from trusting one’s own instinct. Step into Eleni’s world, embrace both the unexpected and the unconventional.
COLOUR
When you're staring at a blank canvas, what's your thought process for picking colours?
For context, when I first started painting, I just wanted to build up my colour collection. I purchased pretty much any colour I could find. From there, I got really into fluros and different pastel tones. Now when I’m picking colours it’s kind of just with whatever’s around me. It sounds stupid to say, but there’s thought behind it and there's also not that much thought at all.
What colours are drawn to at the moment?
I get obsessed with different colours at different times. At the moment I’m into different shades of blue. In general I’m drawn to any bright colours; they're what I like to wear and what I like to decorate my house with. I think the figures I create develop their personality through the colours I use.
Have you perfected the balance between colour and form?
Sometimes I think I go overboard and I’ve put too many colours on the page. I think the page gets too busy and I lose the figure I’m trying to create. I used to think 3 colours per page was the rule, but now I go with however I’m feeling. I’ll bring in as many colours as I think it needs but integrate them in discrete ways. I'm definitely still learning how to draw back and stop.
FORM
Where does the peculiarity come from in your figures?
All painters have their thing, I’m just really into people. I find people so interesting. I spend most of my time people watching, I don’t know if I consciously base my characters off of this, but the weirdness of all different people comes into my work. It all leans into this idea of biomorphic figures. I love my figures being out of proportion and feeling a bit ugly and uncomfortable.
Talk to me about your 'GIRLS' series. How would you describe them to someone who's never seen them before?
My 'Girls' are all pretty weird. I gave each of them a deadpan smile. I used that as a "fuck you" to the world of women having to smile all the time. Although they’re vulnerable and exposed figures, their smiles are scary which in turn makes the audience feel uncomfortable. I’ve always thought that a scary woman is 10x more scary than a scary man. That’s probably why I only really draw women as well. But yeah, that’s what that show was all about, just letting women be.
PROCESS
What does a day in Eleni's studio look like?
I’m in and out of the studio. If I have an urge, I'll do it and then I'll leave. I’m not sitting there looking at a blank page for ages. I just paint by doing. We learned this in class; some people learn by doing and some by planning. I just throw everything on the page and see what happens. I also only work from my imagination. You never know what you’re gonna get and it’s a surprise to me.
Would you say that's what motivates you to keep painting? The suprise?
Yeah probably. Even though usually I hate anything to do with surprises.
I'm curious what colours you associate to emotions. For example, happy?
Blue.
Sad?
Red.
Angry?
Purple.
What colour would you say you are right now?
I'm blue at the moment. Like a vibrant sky blue.
