Stavri Pidia is an artist based in Limassol and she is inspired by social issues and concerns. Stavri has exhibited her artwork ‘Schizophrenia’ at our recent exhibition ‘Identity’.
Let us know a bit more about yourself and when did you first become interested in Art?
I was born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus and I am a professional Graphic Designer / Illustrator. Art was a part of my life from a very young age. I grew up watching my mum painting and participating in exhibitions herself, so that on its own was very eye-opening to me. I took various Art Lessons at a young age and I can always remember myself drawing or painting on walls, books, sketchbooks or any empty space I could find. I have always admired how artists work, how they think about life and how they put their visions and thoughts onto canvases or any other form of space and I have always felt a part of this world. After a 5 year break for my studies, I decided to return to painting at the age of 23. Since then I have been taking part to group exhibitions in Cyprus and I also presented my first solo exhibition in June, 2019 in Limassol.
Tell us about your Art working process and inspirational sources.
Usually I think about a specific problem that is in my mind and I try to visualize how I want to paint it with color or shapes, and so I start sketching on my canvas until I end up with my final outline. I try to think which color matches with the feeling I want to pass on to the viewer, so I do a bit of research before. At this point of my life, I get inspired by Social issues / problems and moments that give me very strong feelings, either negative or positive. These feelings are usually anger, sadness curiosity and optimism. In a sentence I could say that as an artist I speak with my emotions.
Tell us a bit about your working and creativity process.
To be honest, I don’t have a specific creativity process. Ideas run through my head constantly, and whichever makes me feel more vulnerable or passionate about a subject, that’s the one I choose to paint. Some days I feel more creative than others. The days that creativity doesn’t flow as much into me, I try to avoid painting so I won’t end up with something I don’t like. It has happened in the past and I had to re-paint the final outcomes because it didn’t feel right.
What moment of your Art career you identify as the highlight and why?
I believe my first Solo Exhibition in 2019 was the highlight of my Art Career. In that exhibition I tried to express my point of view on mental illnesses and how we should accept those and the people that go through them as part of our lives. To end the stigma of mental illnesses. The whole exhibition was kind of a risk for me since I am a new artist in Cyprus and I didn’t know if people were to show up. I was surprised to see the amount of people that visited the opening of my exhibition and I felt very proud when I sold many of my paintings. As a new artist that was a big’’ push’’ for me to work harder and do more in the Art field.
Are there any current or future projects, exhibitions you are working on or will be soon?
Currently, I am working on a new project which will be about Body Love and Women Empowerment. If everything goes well with the pandemic that took over the past months, I will announce the opening of my new exhibition in 2021.
Instagram: @stavripidia @ariaartcy
