July 25 - August 24, 2024
From La Mecha Contemporary:
“The pandemic, wars, political division, and economic insecurity have enhanced a contemporary desire for transcendence and refuge. Thus, more artists like myself, feel freer in expressing spiritual philosophies and theological iconography to examine their beliefs and make sense of our current realities. Through my art I examine the complexities and duality of life, the quest for transcendence… where wonder meets the ordinary.
The basic ideas in my art have always been rooted in my amazement and wonder of the world around us. Simplified geometric and organic shapes, color, and symmetry are the framework I use to explore the paradoxical unity of life. In my work mathematical principles are the source of form, artistically and conceptually. The tense, continually active figure-ground compositions reflect modernist aesthetics, where every portion of a painting is of equal importance and treated with equal intensity. In the works, the repetition of patterns becomes its own space, with each shape supporting every other shape until they have no existence without each other; A greater unity exists beyond apparent division, as it is so with the world and in every aspect of life.
The symmetrical pulsating patterns allow color combinations to appear and change with the spectator’s movement and focus. Because these events unfold in time and space as the viewer navigates the paintings, they discover their ability to create and destroy color and form while constructing their perception of reality.
These works hold moons, cranes, plants and water as if depicting lost places of lore through the expressive potential of color, contrast and modulations. The ordering of forms depends on their effectiveness in creating a transcendental artistic event with visual illusions and rhythmic combinations of color and pattern. My work reflects a recurrent theme in philosophy, theology, art, and mathematics, the ongoing struggle to grasp the ideal, the transcendental, and to encompass the infinite.
Zoe Spiliotis, an artist living and working in the enchanting and equally surreal landscape of New Mexico, drawing inspiration from mathematical principles as a source for form, both artistically and conceptually. Her work invites viewers to reevaluate their beliefs, perceptions, and understanding of reality. Through the intricate interplay of repetitive modules and patterns, Spiliotis delves into the enigma of life’s paradoxical unity, inviting audiences on a contemplative journey toward transcendence and infinity.
Spiliotis holds an AS in Graphic Design from Valencia Community College (Orlando, FL), a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design (Philadelphia, PA) and an MFA from New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM). She exhibits nationally/internationally, is represented in collections across the country such as the City of El Paso, Orlando Public Library System, and University of New Mexico Hospital-Albuquerque and has created public artwork in New Mexico, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Venezuela. She has been awarded two Mellon Fellowships through the Humanities Collaborative UTEP-EPCC, for her projects to develop a color palette representing the culture and history of the City of El Paso and for documenting the student experience of community college students in El Paso.
Spiliotis is also a devoted advocate for the arts and arts educator at El Paso Community College, leveraging her passion to create and promote opportunities for students, fellow artists, and the wider public. As the founding member and current director of La Mecha Contemporary, a non-profit, artist-led contemporary art gallery in El Paso, Texas, she creates a space dedicated to celebrating the vibrancy of art and fostering artistic dialogue in the Borderland. Her directorial role at La Mecha Contemporary reflects a commitment to showcasing the work of contemporary women and under-represented artists, offering a platform for voices that might otherwise go unheard in the region.”
Reception: July 25, 2024 | 6–9 pm
3803 Frutas Avenue
El Paso, 79905 Texas
915-440-3278
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