BLOG 118 4/01/2025 A Literary World: An Interview with Greek Australian Artist, Efrossini Chaniotis

Posted in on 4 January, 2025 in News

A Literary World

An Interview with Greek Australian Artist, Efrossini Chaniotis

As readers of my blog know, apart from writing about literary works, I also write about art and history. Today’s guest belongs to the latter group.  She is an artist who is well-known in Australia for her dramatic and thought-provoking work. Efrossini Chaniotis is someone who “lives the dream” with her work; something that many of us yearn to do and yet never act on. I first met her a few years ago at a Greek function and was immediately drawn to her work for many reasons, much of which she will tell us about in this interview, but it was the boldness, colour, and attention to detail that first drew me in. Her work is strong, powerful, and controlled. I felt it combined elements of Byzantine art, modern Greek artists, and such greats as Picasso, who with a few simple brushstrokes, could convey so much.  A few weeks ago, I met up with her in her studio and was in awe of how prolific she is (and tidy!). I think I liked everything. She certainly made me want to get my paints out again. So with more ado, please join me in welcoming Efrossini to A Literary World and find out more about this wonderful artist.

Welcome, Efrossini, please tell us about your background.

I was born in Adelaide. My parents were Greek migrants from the islands: my mum was from Corfu and my dad originally from Mykonos. At the age of three, we returned to live in Corfu but later returned back to Australia. I studied Sculpture at the South School of Art and when I graduated went to Greece for a summer holiday and ended up living there for 8 years and studying painting at the Athens School of Fine Art. They were very formative years both personally and professionally and spanned most of my 20’s. I returned to Australia with 2 fine art degrees under my belt. 9/11 happened and I was struck with a feeling that I wanted to make a positive contribution in the world i guess it had awakened a need for purpose beyond feeding my love for being immersed in studying and developing my artistic skills. Eventually, I moved back to Australia did a Masters of Art Therapy in Melbourne worked professionally in the field for 5 years concurrently exhibiting and maintaining a studio practice, After a 2-week trip to India, my first holiday in years I returned with the realization that my art practice was my deeper priority and over the course of a few months resigned from my Art Therapy positions to pursue full heartedly my other passion. I had a hunch that by fully expressing my imagination my spirit of service could also be fulfilled. I now have a flourishing professional career working from my Little Mykonos Studio in Melbourne where I create art for mainly solo exhibitions and commissions that convey magic and wonder to connect people to their inner child and that is infused with integrity, beauty, and artistry.

EARTH ICON #1 (detail)

 

ENA MATI/ One Eye

 

Describe your artwork.

I am fascinated by the meeting place between forms, hence my attraction to creating paintings inspired or responding to sculptures and visa versa, performances that hint at but are not theater, sculptures that resemble puppets without being so, and storytelling within painting that is not illustration. I also paint on my mix media sculptures and hang them on the wall like paintings or friezes.

I create art that tells a story, with each piece acting like a page in a book. This approach allows me to weave narratives through my artwork. I see many of my art pieces, across mediums, as connected, weaving and composing stories with never-ending possibilities.

My style is a combination of Byzantine iconography and expressive brushwork influenced by modern art. It often looks to be referencing tribal and folk art from diverse cultures which I often times think is due to my incorporation of patterns and archetypal/universal themes. The tone of my art is narrative, poetic, symbolic, figurative and surreal in nature.

 

 

The TRIPTYCH sculptures entitled THE MERMAID GARDENER

 

Angel Dreaming

 

Ideas Board

Contemporary Cycladic sculptures

 

What and who inspires you?

I’m inspired by spirituality, psychology, themes that occur in my own life, travel, modern art, mythology, Frida Kahlo, Matisse, Bonnard, Picasso, Expressionism, Chagall. Byzantine iconography, Ancient Greek art, Greek modern art. Theofilos, Tsarouhi, Fassianos and indigenous art from around the world. Greece provided me with a sound painting education and an appreciation for the development of art in Greece from antiquity t0 the modern era.

How do you use storytelling in your work?

I’ve always loved storytelling my earliest memory of the wonder of storytelling was as a 3-year-old child on the island of Corfu been babysat by a woman who told stories to children under a gigantic tree in the park. The feeling of being transported and given the key to magical worlds of adventure, color and joy planted seeds within me. So when I chose the visual arts as my profession while I experimented with a wide variety of media, styles and intentions, I was naturally drawn to the expressive, symbolic and narrative aspect of art. I see storytelling in art as stimulating meaning making and also imbuing the art object with living attributes supporting transformation, healing and wisdom, a powerful form of communication.

 

The Dressmaker. Finished painting

 

Detail of The Dressmaker in progress

 

Inspiration for The Dressmaker.

During a trip to Brazil in 2014-15 I painted two canvases for a hotel. One canvas seemed to start a story, and the other concluded. When I returned to Australia, I spent a year generating art, one at a time, like pages of a book exploring the themes of those 2 paintings. I then compiled the story the images and sculptures told titling it THE FISHERMAN AND MERMAID’S TALE and performed it on opening night in a gallery full of the art. in the following days I continued to perform the story for gallery visitors, this time walking around the gallery gesturing t0 the artworks almost like a tour guide. Each artwork description on the wall also told the story allowing me to emphasize the merging of storytelling in the contemporary art space.

Since then, I have paid greater respect to the intelligence within the artworks themselves and continue to ask questions, be curious, and follow the unexpected. I place myself as much as I can in the viewer’s role rather than the epicenter, where ownership and ego can block my ability to listen to and learn from what is created.

Does music play a part in your creative process?

I listen to a variety of genres ranging from world, soul and rhythmic, percussive music and always there are occasions where I need to work in silence. Recently I’ve loved Beautiful Chorus, enchanting, harmonic modern vocals. I am drawn to empowering emotive and positive leaning songs. I also listen to podcasts about science and spirituality like the Huberman Lab and Know Thyself.

What’s next for you?

Since finishing The Dressmaker modern icon which was  commission for a client in Adelaide (which you saw) I have completed a family tree painting commission for someone in the USA (it was half finished from a few months ago and put on standby until now) then I completed a painting on a 40x6ocm canvas, which I call ‘cleaning my mental and visual palette’ a bit like a stream of consciousness painting as highly contrasting in theme, composition and style to some extent to the commissions. This helps me come back to what  compositions, narratives and images are sitting in my’ conscious to subconscious’ I guess generated from a more personal space. see attached  image with tentative title ‘Dancing Sunset’  I painted upright and upside down turning the canvas a few times throughout the process until settling on this angle – so a playful exploration to open and free myself.
Since then I’ve completed a second, larger canvas 77 x 77cm titled ‘Pieces of the Moon’ which started with  me taking a figure from the previous painting (Dancing Sunset) and elaborating and exploring its nature in a larger and dedicated  scene.  The figure evolved dramatically from one painting to the next.

Transition from Dancing Sunset

 

Pieces of the Moon

Currently I am close to finishing a third painting also 77x77cm UNTITLED as yet and still in progress. In this one I have taken that same figure from  ‘pieces of the moon’  to reveal yet another side of her . She has her arms held out to catch a woman falling from the sky that resembles her a little. There are many shapes and symbols that have transferred from the previous painting to this one.
I feel like I am well and truly in new territory now though the crescent moon/ Selene – Moon Goddess, moon boat, star tree and the mermaid are familiar personal motifs from works in my past, excited to see that I am revisiting them . Have not fully comprehend what is happening yet as I am in the midst of finishing the 3rd painting, sure to sit, reflect and ponder soon.
Can you tell us about the book – Bouboulina and the Greek Revolution – and the cover art you designed for it?
My relationship with Laskarina Bouboulina began in November 2020 when the Baltimore based, leading researcher on Bouboulina contacted me after coming across my modern icon series on social media. She reached out to commission me to create a painting that honoured Phillip Bouboulina, the descendant who had founded the Bouboulina Museum on Spetses Island but who had recently died. I was given the task of creating a modern icon commemorating his dedication to preserving and ensuring ongoing discourse on the legacy of a phenomenal female revolutionary. With the help of April, it took me nearly a year to consult and properly research, placing me in an ideal position upon its completion to have the further honour of being the first female artist to create a ratified portrait of her for April’s subsequent landmark book. 
In 2023 I travelled to Greece to attend the book launch at the Bouboulina Museum on Spetses island, where I talked about the methods I used and the concept behind my portrait on the book’s cover, presenting alongside the many international academics who contributed chapters in the book. I was also there to present April’s the modern icon gift to the Bouboulina family who have now taken over Phillip’s vision and management of the museum.

 

Modern icon gift for the Bouboulina family

 

I would also like to mention that in her “spare time”, Efrossini is also an accomplished finger cymbals and drum player and often plays with the Rebetika Band in Melbourne.  Tell us more about this.
Between 1997 and 2000, while still living in Athens I took lessons in the drum we call in Greece: toubeleki . In Turkey and the Middle East it goes by several names amongst them being: Dumbek and Darambuka. In Greece it is common in different types of folk music. In Melbourne around 2018 I joined a jam that started at a tavern allowing musicians ranging from professional  to beginners to join together, learn and play the Greek Blues (rebetika). Here is a sample of some early recordings from the early part of the 20th Century.
Eventually I put down the drum which traditionally was only played in belly dance songs ‘tsiftedelia’, instead I picked up 2 pairs of wooden spoons ‘koutaliakia’ (2 played in each hand) and finger cymbals ‘ Zilies’ that unlike the drum were traditionally the percussion of choice for the Greek Blues.
For 6 years I was a regular attendee in the jam which led to opportunities of performing professionally in Melbourne forging great musical friendships and creative collaborations Here is a link to a video demonstrating one of many projects that resulted from merging my artistic, storytelling  side with my talented musical colleagues
Thank you so much for sharing your time and thoughts with is, Efrossini. Such wonderful work. On behalf of my readers, I wish you continued success.
LINKS:
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For those who are interested, this is one of my earlier blogs on Theophilos. https://www.kathryngauci.com/07-march-02-2015-theophilos-hadzimichael-artist-of-mytilene-a-passion-for-life/
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