VICKY CHRISTOU: Undertone

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Vicky Christou, "Undertone," 2017

acrylic on panel, 36" x 36"

Artist Reception: Saturday, February 3, 2-4PM  ARTIST IN ATTENDANCE

Bau-Xi Vancouver is pleased to present Undertone, an exhibition of paintings by Vicky Christou. Christou’s inaugural exhibition at Bau-Xi Gallery showcases the artist’s exploration of acrylic paint, and an investigation of the subtle shifts in the perception of colour.

Vicky Christou pays homage to the tradition of craft and women’s domestic labour through her sculptural paintings. Since 1990, she has devoted her practice to the full expression of line and form. Christou meticulously applies lines of paint synchronized to one full meditative breath. Paint accumulates line by line, layer upon layer, each colour shrinking and expanding at different rates: a visual record of time and human consciousness.

The colour white features predominantly in Undertone, unique for its lack of hue and its ability to fully reflect and scatter all wavelengths of light. Rife with poetic metaphor, Christou’s grid acts as a veil that conceals and reveals. The simplicity of the grid, and uniformity of the square formats are intentional choices for Christou. Its small-scale both an invitation to view the work intimately, and to recognize and contemplate the fleeting qualities of light and time:

“I like duplicity and what it reveals: what we first see and know, and what light and shade reveal to us from different vantage points and at different times. I find that transitory passage inspiring and poetic, like watching the day`s light fade into evening.”

With dozens of painted marks repeated, Christou’s highly textured surfaces culminate into an artifact of making which defy traditional distinctions between painting, sculpture and craft.