“Eutopia” began as an attempt to capture in a completely archetypal way the essence of Greek folk motifs, as they are found in textiles, ceramics and wood carvings.  At least, in the way I perceive this essence.

And this way was formed in me many years ago, from the moment when I was still a child watching my grandmother and then my mother “embroider” casually and then boldly their joy as well as their sadness.

Along the way, even I was impressed by the variety of forms and designs that often popped up unconsciously.  This meant that the designs and patterns were carried inside me as a memory and were trying to find a way to be expressed.

Although my works are paintings, the way I work often touches the paths of sculpture.  I refuse to use brushes and use oil as an amorphous material, a mass that I shape on paper using tools unorthodox many times, scraping and scratching the surface of the paint. So the technique perfectly serves my goal: to render any subject with a sense of decay, a sense of deep unconscious memory.

However, if these works can also remind us of a beauty that is now undisguisedly plundered from everywhere, then they have achieved a double goal: to act as a deterrent against the “evil eye” of pain and frustration in the future.

Sofia Datseri