“Is there indeed a vulnerable balance between strength and sensitivity or maybe sensitivity is our greatest wisdom and strength…?
Clay and concrete, stainless steel and aggregates, silk and pigments, wax and gold. Fragile materials in combination with strong building materials are being engaged to answer above question embracing a delicate figure.
Traveling throughout centuries, elements of strength competing with an emotional sense of grace. Sensuality as part of human nature, sometimes used as a weapon or as defense.
As an artist, creating is a “seductive” urge for me. It is a trip and challenge of mind to convey the information, essence and mystery throughout different eras to today, while a problem-solving engagement to form this spirit into a work of art practicing with opposing materials.
I use to say that my sculptures have strong personality, they know well how they would like to be and guide me throughout the process. It is about mental images and feelings that urge to be realized. It’s a fantasy, ethereal world that is being visualized in figures that while they look realistic at first glance, they have elements of exaggeration. In fact is a combination of realistic and abstract forms.
The result is bringing the observer into a dramatic environment where an interactive relationship begins.”
CV
Ioanna Paraskeva is an active, restless personality, with an inherent call to Art.
Same time she has a rich professional background of over 26 years in the business management sector. Her profession offered her the opportunity to travel around the world and acquire many diverse experiences, images and influences, something that reflects in her creations.
Her relation with art is innate. At younger age she dealt with painting with acrylics and oil, copper engraving and painting on glass.
Sculpting and painting always attracted her interest, but that was never enough. In her research and her need to discover new possibilities she dares combining techniques and materials, sometimes even quite opposite to each other to create a new form of art expression.
At her works we meet strong building mediums like stainless steel, concrete and aggregates combined with delicate ones like clay, paper and silk. We meet contemporary metallic paints, gold leaf and wax combined with primitive and traditional techniques of earth pigments and egg-tempera coming from different eras.
Her work is easily recognizable as it is characterized by strong expression, intense movement, plasticity and sensational -while gentle- approach, wandering the mind into something ethereal and mysterious.
Ioanna likes to use her art to visualize a story which can touch and motivate people and most important young people.
Each creation comes in a unique single piece which is also the prototype. She never uses molds, nor produces molds out of it. Her artworks are signed and are accompanied by a certificate which guarantees their uniqueness.
Exhibitions
- Evripides Art Gallery, Athens December 2018 – January 2019 installation of “Guilty Secret”
- Acropolis Museum presentation of a sculpture for the metals awarding ceremony of Children’s Art Gallery of Greece December 1, 2019
- Museum of Virtual Arts, Crete, group exhibition December 2019 February 2020
- Presentation of High Priestess of Olympic Flame at Ancient Olympia Museum, joining the lighting of the Olympic flame, March 2020
- Presentation of High Priestess of Olympic Flame at Athens War Museum, for the event “Fair Play”, June 2020
- On going project. “Dolls Saving Kids” 2020-21
- On going project “iamnotadoll” 2021
All pictures on this website are property of Ioanna Paraskeva and are not to be copied or reproduced without prior consent. All rights reserved.