Athena Anastasiou

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We Are Going to The Moon!

May 18 – July 1, 2023

UniX gallery is pleased to present Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We Are Going to The Moon!, an exhibition of new paintings by Athena Anastasiou. This will be her first gallery presentation in the US. The show opens with a public reception on May 18, from 6 – 8 pm and is on view through July 1, 2023.

It features new large-scale oil paintings that boldly push and expand the boundaries of this traditional genre. Anastasiou creates elaborate compositions that blend realism, abstraction, traditional oil painting techniques, and textile weaving. Textile threads become organic parts of the canvas and often explode from the usual rectangular picture frame into multidimensional mixed-media installations.

The show’s title embodies the artist’s fascination with space exploration, multi-planetary life, and what she calls the reconciliation of opposing energies of consumerism (the sun) and planetary nurture (the moon).

Anastasiou is taking the viewer on a journey through time, from a future where humans have colonised Mars to a distant imagined future where our dominion has ended, and nature has reclaimed the planet. The artwork envisions a world where plant life thrives, and insects have evolved to colossal sizes. Through this narrative, she showcases the profound impact of human actions on the ever-evolving landscape of our future.

Currently residing in a small Cypriot village, Anastasiou is fascinated by both traditional space and the future utopian visions where the next generations relocate to Mars, AI runs the civilisation, and animal species get radically transformed to match and survive the new realities of life.

Her works directly reflect her mental and creative pursuits – with works like Rae on Mars, depicting the artist’s daughter in the fiery red backgrounds reminiscent of the Red Planet, We left and they came, showing the abundant vegetation and wild animals taking over the abandoned Earth, Our view into the past, with a feeling of traditional earthly landscapes being left behind of a speeding vehicle.

Anastasiou’s works embody the paradoxical blend of hope and despair that characterises our outlook on the fate of future generations. She also has a childlike wonder at the beauty and complexity of this world.  Nature and children play an important role in Anastasiou’s oeuvre.  The artist often uses overlaid images from children’s books to emphasise storytelling, and what she calls the evolutionary timeline between mother and child in regard to the survival of our planet.

The subject of mythology is another important element of Anastasiou’s works. Her paintings are mystical and otherworldly, always portraying a feeling of magic and a sense of nature being alive and nurturing humans despite all their shortcomings. The encompassing sense of abundance, acceptance, playfulness, and regeneration are the hallmarks of Anastasiou’s works. She wonders what will be of value in the future and aims to find harmony between the old and new, slow and fast, female and masculine, breathing in and out.

Athena Anastasiou is based in London and Cyprus. She is a graduate of the Central Saint Martin (London) with a BFA in painting, she also attended the New York Academy of Art (NYC) and Charles Cecil Studios, Florence. Her works have been extensively exhibited in London, she was included in the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2020, and her works were featured in the Guardian and the Evening Standard.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We Are Going to The Moon! runs from May 18 through July 1, 2023, and the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

For more information and all inquiries please contact the gallery at info@unixgallery.com or by phone at 212-209-1572.

Athena Anastasiou