Maria Gouveli

Creating Spaces
acrylics on wood (magnetic sheet, metal plate)
9 pieces 9 x 9 in. each

Drawing on the physical properties of painting as (trans)portable and on theoretical notions of the nomadic and dialogic, my practice focuses on mobility and interaction both literally and metaphorically. This refers to the real (geographical) relocations of the artist, the artefact and the exchange of ideas but also to the flow of imagined geographies within the ‘flat-map’ surface of painting.

My current practice explores painting as relational and the potential to become an invitation for others to intervene physically with the paintings. It attempts to capture and represent painting not as a fixed statement of a single voice (the artist’s) but an ongoing process of responses. Through playful interaction, groups of small paintings, without a right side up, can be touched, relocated and reassembled in different combinations by others. The work is in an open situation, in a constant process of (re)creation. It takes the form of a visual dialogue or a game without a fixed solution. Its organic structure goes beyond boundaries, opening up new ways for interaction, viewing and interpretation.

The paintings embody visual notations with reference to maps, networks and rhizomatic structures, that are constantly changing towards new manifestations. Forms drawn from memory and intuitive impressions create spaces looked from above, referring to a plan-view that is constantly re-mapped. Their flexible structure challenges and might transgresses the passive viewing, minimise the space between painting, artist and audience and suggest a more relational approach to painting.

© Maria Gouveli