Efi Spyrou's engaging photographs appear at Diatopos

artwork exhibition at Cyprus — Still Dogs, 2016, Efi Spyrou photographed by Despina Spyrou.

(Image credit: Emma Louis Charalambous)

In a brave exhibition at Cyprus' Diatopos Contemporary, model-turned-artist Efi Spyrou uses her own body as a canvas, acting as both the creator and the creation.

Shifting focus from model to artist was a natural step for Spyrou. 'The truth is, I've been working in the fashion industry for several years and considering my body as a medium-object,' she explains. 'Now, as an artist, I use the same anonymous medium-object to deal with social phenomena – whether this has to do with race, origin, age, sex.'

In a series of what curator Charis Kanellopoulou calls 'repetitive photographic surfaces', Spyrou's torso is captured in dynamic poses – naked but for poetic phrases printed on her skin. Mottos like 'Older Younger', 'Authenticity In Question' and 'Exotic Not Exhausted' relate to Spyrou's interest in the politics of the art and fashion scenes. They offer a refreshing irony often lacking in po-faced contemporary exhibitions. Drawing from her personal experiences, the portraits unapologetically borrow a high fashion aesthetic, but, the faceless pin-ups use contemporary artistic techniques – tattoos projected in LED lights, for instance – connecting them to their interactive gallery setting.

photograph of women with costume — *’Storm Bird and Other Animals’, 2016.*

These oversized photographic posters form a backdrop to a series of animalesque sculptures collected in the centre of the space, that blur the boundary between art object and costume. Little Black Bird (2016), for example – made from latex, copper and PVC – makes use of the same materials and jutting pipes as an elaborate outfit Spyrou is wearing in one of her photographs. She considers the dual sculptural and photographic elements of the exhibition completely intertwined. 'They're like animals in the same field,' she explains. 'All of the works invite the viewer to experience them as part and as a whole of a self... a plural singularity.'

Spyrou's decision to include herself in the works is a courageous comment on how today's creative talents are expected to be both art-personality and artist – a manifold figure, continually available for comment; being prodded and poked by a media-hungry public. As Kanellopoulou says, 'she aims to move dynamically as well as flexibly, sometimes in spaces of internal operations and sometimes in areas of public display'. Through her raw, effecting self-portraits, Spyrou forces the viewer to assess their own interaction with the work, and also the person who created it.

exhibition portrait of women with costume — *Storm Bird,* 2016, Efi Spyrou

Little Black Bird titled artwork — *Little Black Bird,* 2016

portrait with back side of women — *Still Dogs,* 2016, Efi Spyrou

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Diatopos website

ADDRESS

Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos
11DZ Crete Street. Nicosia
Nicosia 1061, Cyprus

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Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.