Occhi featured artist Despina Symeou is a Painter~Printmaker who lives and works in London. After the study of art forms focusing on fine art, printmaking and photography, Despina specialized in Jewellery Design, gaining a B.A.Hons Degree from Middlesex University. In recent years she has returned to the two-dimensional formats that had originally fired her imagination, predominantly in etching. The human form has been her preferred starting point for most of her projects and an eye for the interesting and sometimes unexpected elements add to the narrative as the work progresses. Many of her paintings and prints are in private collections worldwide and her etchings are held in the Victoria & Albert Collection Fund and the Scarborough Museum Trust. Ahead of her forthcoming Occhi Contemporary Art exhibition, we caught up with her to discuss her work and career.
How and when did you fully embrace art and design as a career path?
From the start it has always been about the act of creating in any form – keeping a sketchbook, making models and clothes. Art was the main subject I excelled at in school, so there was never a career option for me that did not include some element of creativity. As is frequently the case though, art in my family was not taken seriously, and for many years it has been looked upon as a leisurely hobby.
Despite my years at art college, it has taken a long time to comfortably identify myself as an artist. I took a few compromised turns in order to navigate family commitments and expectations which had a negative effect on my confidence and belief in my creative ambition. By 2005 I realized that fulfilling my creativity was non-negotiable. A return to life drawing classes reignited my enthusiasm, and I have built on those foundations by expanding my practice to include printmaking and painting.
Who have been your career influences, and why?
After giving this question some consideration, it surprises me to say that the people who have influenced me the most on my career path were the tutors and lecturers at art college with whom I had quite a prickly relationship. I see now that coming from a school where I was top at art, to a college where everyone displayed high levels of talent, was a jolt to my confidence and that was tricky to navigate.
These teachers (artists themselves) had the job of harnessing the creativity to give their young students direction. Historically, female artists have been hugely underrepresented. Many women in the arts have overcome sexist prejudice and jealousy in order to be credited for their own accomplishments, as seen with Lee Miller and Dorothea Tanning. It seems that in order to have a voice, women need to compromise other areas of life to fully focus on their chosen path. 21st century women artists like Tracy Emin and Paula Rego are unapologetic and uncompromising. The imagery is at times deeply uncomfortable and fearless. I love that about them and feel I can learn from their energy.
You studied fine art, printmaking, photography, and Jewellery Design. Please share your experience studying these areas at university and how they have shaped your practice?
The study of fine art was mainly in the life-drawing studio. The pupils were all straight out of school and had never drawn a naked body from life before. We were thrown in at the deep end and honestly, the girls handled it much better than the boys!
Once the embarrassment died down, I found the drawing process difficult and infuriating, but fascinating. Drawing people was my favorite thing and I would be completely engrossed in the looking and mark making.
Although I was not the best technical student, I enjoyed the process of developing a 35mm film and printing images in the darkroom. However, the most important thing photography taught me was composition and contrast. These two elements are key in every 2D format I have ever used. This is especially true when it came to making etchings, in which the tonal elements from light to dark are acid etched into a zinc plate to create the image. I would use photographic images as a reference and a guide to the final print.
This is a challenging and time-consuming process but the results were worth it. Often I found the zinc plates more interesting than the prints. I enjoyed working with metal and making small pieces. The path to jewelry making seemed like a natural progression. The technical side is very much grounded in years of traditional practice which helped in realizing my more theatrical and organic designs. I enjoyed my time at university and gained my BA Hons degree in jewelry design. Of course, a more conventional form of jewelry making is required in the real world. Naturally, my current projects are informed from this foundation of studying various artistic mediums, and the experiences gained throughout my art education.
What is your favorite medium, and why?
Painting is easily my favorite medium. I like using all forms of paint – acrylics, oils, watercolors, and even highly pigmented emulsion.
Years ago I was a little bit intimidated by paint. I knew where I was drawing, but felt painting was an uncontrollable entity. I was partly right. The freedom that painting allows through its fluidity was liberating and surprisingly disciplined. I could freely layer and texture, but I could also bring it tightly back with detail.
Being shortlisted for The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2018 and having several etchings held in the Victoria & Albert Collection fund are just two of your many accomplishments. To date, what is your proudest achievement, and why?
My proudest moment was my 2010 solo exhibition Skin Shapes at the Britannia Centre in North London which showcased my figurative drawings, paintings, and monoprints.
I had been encouraged to show my artwork for some time and had probably been subconsciously preparing for this well before the opportunity presented itself. Naively, I had not fully appreciated the responsibility of carrying my own show but thankfully the exhibition host guided me through the whole process. Despite my inexperience, the show was a great success, and on reflection, it was probably a good thing that I did not know all that I know now. The confidence I gained led to all the many great things that have followed and to all the exciting things yet to come.
What advice would you give to budding young artists starting their careers?
Be curious and check out other artists and events to see the direction you might like to take. Try not to compare yourself to your contemporaries as you all have your own unique paths to follow. Listen to your gut feeling, it’s never wrong, and know it’s ok to change direction if the path you are on no longer serves you.
What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?
My biggest challenge has been acknowledging the validity of calling myself an artist, and not being afraid to act on my gut feelings. Also, making consistent interesting content for my Instagram posts on @DespinaSymeou_Art is a newly introduced challenge that I’m stepping up to.
What do you look for in a project, and what methodology if any, do you apply in researching areas/ subject matters.
My projects seem to find me! I use photography almost daily to record anything of interest and I regularly edit images to use as reference points. I find this very useful when fulfilling the brief for an exhibition submission. However, the last exhibition I submitted to was to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death. My research involved reading up on Dante’s life, works, and the fashions of medieval Italy. Unexpectedly, what interested me most was the man himself and his undying love for Beatrice, his childhood sweetheart who died at a very young age. His poems about her beauty and purity elevated Beatrice to goddess levels. I am delighted to have my photopolymer portrait etching of Beartice The Beautiful included in this prestigious exhibition being held at the Dante Society in central London from 3rd – 30th September.
What projects are you currently working on?
Currently, I am working on a series of nude paintings, informed by my experience of showing my figurative paintings and monoprints at art fairs.
Occasionally, when chatting to clients, they tell me the painting of the nude they are purchasing will be hung in the bedroom. Anywhere else in their house would seem immodest. I wonder why this view is still held, especially as my work is in no way explicit or rude. Nudity is everywhere, from museums and galleries to TV and any number of social media platforms. Much of it is innocuous and inoffensive.
Historically, the female nude was painted from the male perspective, embedding the overly sexual connotation of nude artwork being inappropriate and almost taboo to be displayed in the home. It’s time to reclaim the power of the female nude by removing the male gaze. This has inspired a new series of works called Not Just For The Bedroom, as a way of encouraging a balanced and holistic perspective on the female body.
This series is beginning with framed postcard size paintings on canvas board, each depicting a nude figure in muted, highly pigmented tones. The idea is to make affordable artwork and due to their subtlety, displaying the pieces in all parts of the home will be a small first step. I will follow up with much larger statement paintings to complement the series. The feeling of coming full circle from ‘Skin Shapes’ is a satisfying arc in my creative career.
For further information on Despina, please visit Occhi Contemporary Arts
Main image: Adding the finishing touches to The Golden Hour; photo credit- Sophie Symeou
Life drawing study in pastels and Cassiopia; postcard size painting on canvas board
About Author
