Artist Statement
Deep under the ocean lays a world teeming with life and excitement. A diversity of coral species hidden beneath the waves are the home and shelter of many ocean creatures. Corals are animals of consistency, correlating with one another and dependent on the environment for survival and growth. Like the mysterious reefs of the deep, people depend on their environment and relationships with others for growth and survival. As the ever changing ocean shapes and structures the life within the coral, so too are people shaped by their environment and the interpersonal relationships that surround them.
Coralations Evolving explores relationships that support, coexist and unit us with the people around us and our environment. Reflecting upon her personal growth and development from a child in Greece to an adult in America, the artist is impressed by the influence that a supportive community of family and friends has had upon her ability to thrive. Inspired by the beauty of coral and the structural integrity of a coral reef, research to understand this marine society has lead the artist to draw a comparison between the value of a supportive community for a human being and a similar source of support for coral organisms.
Ceramic compositions of vessel forms, representative of man, supported by or embracing sculptural pieces inspired by the forms, textures, and colors of coral, symbolize for the artist, the importance and necessity of relationships among species within their environments. The vessels represent the artist. The sculptural coral interpretations symbolize those entities that have supported, guided, and sheltered the artist. Conversely, clay compositions showing vessels embracing sculptural coral interpretations represent the artist’s influence on and support for the people in her life.
In Coralations Evolving the body of work represents a visual engagement and discovery of the physical and conceptual interconnection and interdependence of human and coral communities. As the coral can be soft or hard; so can life’s experiences, but like the ocean life, the “sanctuaries” we create within are there to protect us and provide us with strength.