About
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 specialised 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, using photography as a sketch book to reference her painting and printmaking. 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.
‘The way I apply the ink onto the plate is in my mind similar to applying paint to canvas. The marks and lines remain the same, but the colours merge and tonal effects take place to ensure each print is unique. This method naturally led onto the more instinctive and spontaneous mono printing practice, where I make work that celebrates the female form. I apply a similar method on a larger scale to my canvas nudes. These paintings have a more abstract quality without deviating from the representational format.’
Despina began showing her figurative work in 2010 with her solo show Skin Shapes. Since then she has exhibited her work in and around London with the Printmakers Council, biannually shows work at The Affordable Art Fair UK and as a member of ArtCan, collaborates with artist’s groups which enables her work to reach a wider audience.
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