Artist Statement
“I seek to make paintings that are timeless, like a great novel, a great story, they never lose their vitality. No piece of art is ever finished, no idea is ever completed, for it’s power lives on and moves me to explore new possibilities. I detest labels, and I detest judgements. There is nothing that comes in the way of true art more than either of these things. My work is much more, and my need to see it come alive drives me to create.
The subjects are ideas that reflect my journey through this life, the street scenes of Charleston and past travels, the relationships of people and memories, the distant glimpses into what was and might be, the pure form of what is and what runs through all things. It is about the truth and essence of what we always seek to come home to, what always has been and is always within you.
All of the pieces vary from one message to the next. They change as the times change, as my feelings change, as my thoughts change, always evolving, growing and pushing on to the next signpost in this journey of life. But in their varying nature they each carry the signature of what is uniquely human, present and valuable about my personal experience. Essentially, the work is who I am. It is nothing more and nothing less. I invite you to enter into these ideas and to take from them what you see unique about your own life, your own self, your own experience. That is all I ask. And from that, I hope you feel safe.”
--Fotini Christophillis, 2011
Biography
Fotini Christophillis received her BA in Studio Art and Arts Management from the College of Charleston in 2008. In 2009, she received the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant as an individual artist to present the group exhibit Delete Apathy: Promoting Environmental Action in collaboration with the Coastal Conservation League. As a former dancer, improvisational movement plays a strong role in the work. The marks move freely as the color is alive with the pulse of emotion and the passion she sees in her environment. Everything tells a story in the work. It is all relevant, inherent and uniquely human. In the near future, she plans to launch a project called Create and Live, workshops with the purpose of teaching joy, creativity and self-awareness. Currently she works from a studio space at Lamber Gray Gallery and Studios in Charleston, SC and teaches painting and drawings classes.