Athens-based artist Christie Photopoulou, who works under the pseudonym c33 Studio, recently took part in an exhibition exploring the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai. New Symbols 4: Ikigai was held at the Alma Mater space in Athens, Greece, and featured 16 artists.
Christie was invited to be part of the show after responding to an open call on social media. She selected two pieces of her work that she felt fit with the concept of the show. Ikigai is an ancient Japanese philosophy that invites us to seek and find meaning and purpose in our lives, through balance, happiness, and spiritual fulfilment. Christie comments; “Essentially, all of my paintings are made with the purpose of giving value to something created at a specific moment in time. An identical gesture can provide a different result every time you make it, adding to the uniqueness of each piece.”
The pieces Christie chose for the show are inspired by experimentation with colour, texture, form, and white space. “I try to capture the moment in the shapes created when I apply ink to paper, knowing that moment is unique,” says the artist. She continues; “There is a lot of freedom that comes with that and my hope is the viewer will be able to feel that freedom through the work.”
Christie describes her practice as “a much-needed creative outlet”, which she is more and more grateful for as her day job as a designer/art director can sometimes be limiting. Freedom from any commercial constraints makes creating these pieces a very special process for the artist. She states; “I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to make art, even if it is part-time, and hopefully, I can continue to do so by reaching more viewers”.
The entire c33 studio project was born out of Christie’s desire for artistic expression without the use of digital technology or specialised equipment. She creates with an ethos of going back to basics with simple materials such as paper and acrylic. Inspired by the screen-printing process, applying paint directly onto the intended surface, Christie began creating abstract shapes that take on different characteristics depending on the tools she uses each time. Initially, her tool of choice was a bank card, thus subverting an object with a specific (consumerist) use. Furthermore, this is a comment on her belief that “art can be made anywhere, with anything, and does not require expensive equipment“.
Currently, Christie is working on adding some new pieces to her online store, and is looking forward to experimenting with larger formats and different materials including glass and perspex.
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