Greek visual artists Leda Alexopoulou and Liana Papalexi have their works exhibited in the annual Australian Sculpture by the Sea, the world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, returning to the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk till 7 November 2022.
Alexopoulou was selected by the organisers and invited along with fellow artist Liana Papalexi who was the recipient of the Greek Artist Program for Sculpture by the Sea that was developed few years ago in partnership with 'The Hellenic Club Sydney' and members of the Greek Australian community of Sydney on the initiative of Mayor of Waverley Council Ms Paula Masselos, under the aegis and coordination of the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, in order to showcase Greek artistic talent and to contribute to helping Greece’s position in the global arts world.
The iconic exhibition sees the coastline transformed into a 2km long sculpture park over three weeks featuring over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.
Prior to her depature for Greece, Papalexi had the pleasure of meeting the newly appointed Consul-General of Greece in Sydney Mr Ioannis Mallikourtis who made a point of visiting the artist on-location where they discussed her installation work.
As one of Sydney’s most beloved and photographed events, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi attracts approximately 450,000 visitors over the course of 18 days and signals the beginning of summer in Sydney.
LIANA PAPALEXI
Born in Athens, Liana Papalexi, already an experienced ceramist, is also receiving her degree from the Athens Shool of Fine Arts. With her work, Liana attracts the eye of even the most distracted observer by playing with materials, light and color.
Liana introduces us to her artistic world by working with ceramic stoneware or porcelain and making them function as a source of light. The light that emerges from a pebble or a boat warms the space and gives the artwork a different dimension. Other times, captivating colors - balanced yet often boldly combined - emerge from a platter or a painting to tell a story. In her wall and table works, Liana switches effortlessly from ceramics to painting. Her creations are always vibrant and unique.
THE WORK: ALICE IN PORCELAIN LAND
It’s a brain getaway. The beauty of misty translucency of porcelain is reflected through light, through the sky and the blue sea, as they mix together with the pear-shaped forms which follow one another under our gaze.
LEDA ALEXOPOULOU
Leda Alexopoulou was born in Athens (Greece) in 1972. She studied in both Athens Schools of Economics and Business (1996) and in Athens School of Fine Arts (2004). She has a diploma in Marketing and Management and a diploma in Painting with honors from the Greek State Scholarships Foundation. In 2002 she completed a semester with the EU’s Erasmus exchange program at the Weißensee Kunsthochschule in Berlin, Germany. Currently she is back at the Athens School of Fine Arts where she studies sculpture.
She employs a wide variety of materials and processes in her work, effectively combining diverse artistic disciplines such as painting, sculpture, land art and design. Examining the fundamental connection between humans and nature, the artist is often inclined to work directly in a natural environment, where she can derive immediate experience and inspiration from her surroundings. Poetic and provocative alike, at times straightforward and at times verging on the surreal, her creations invariably evoke concerns about environmental issues and human existence.
Leda has exhibited her work in both group and solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad. In 2005 she was awarded as one of the six highest graded graduating students of the Fine Art School for the year 2004. An exhibition of all six graduators took place in the Benaki Museum Peireos Str., sponsored by Eurobank and curated by Mrs Nelli Misirli (former curator of the National Gallery of Greece). With her work showcasing her sensitivity towards the environmental crisis, she was invited by the Goethe Institute to participate in a Forum in Croatia under the title ‘On the brink of the next social revolution’, Forum for creative minds (March 2011, Zagreb, June 2010, Art Radionica Lazareti (ARL) / Cultural Center Art Workshop Lazareti, Dubrovnik). In 2021 she participated and awarded as one of the finalists at Larnaca Biennale (Cyprus). Her Land Art work A piece of Greece will be exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi beach, Sydney, Australia (October-November 2022).
THE WORK: A PIECE OF GREECE
A Piece of Greece is an actual imprint of rocks located in a bay on the island of Crete. Placing the fabric over the rocks along Tamarama Beach reflects on the interconnections of the numerous people who have relocated to Australian from around the world.
