Aphrodite and Fish Print

Georgios Georgiou – Born in Larnaka, Cyprus. Educated and worked in UK. Took early retirement from college lecturing to bicycle around Asia and now carving and cycling. In 2007 I made my first carving in India, using alabaster and 3 carving tools and was excited to produce a polished object that was previously an inert rough piece of rock. This sparked a desire to perform further transformations of pieces of alabaster. When my supply of alabaster fragments was exhausted I purchased some wood chisels and began carving driftwood I collected from rivers and seas especially pieces that showed evidence of prolonged immersion and weathering. The things I make are all hand carved using Balinese axes, chisels, gouges and knives. I carve using the direct method, drawing my image on the wood then begin carving and drawing again as necessary. Unlike wood artists in Asia who select their timber species and size according to the object they want to make, I select material that has potential interest for its shape, colour, grain, indication of previous history, and ease of carving. Using this old and discarded material allows an eco-friendly element to my work while also presenting a challenge to the notions of beauty and viewing a thing based only on its surface information. I use a variety of methods to display my work including stands, bases and frames. The objects are highly polished and invite the touch. Some framed works are carved in the round and these are on elastic restraints so they may be held and examined in 360o. When I make an object I’m often combining the influences of culture, environment and learning. Some pieces are directly related to Greek, Balinese, Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures and their myths. Some pieces reflect and focus on my interest in the psychology of illusions and some of the objects when viewed from different angles allow different images to be perceived. This latest body of work are my interpretation of the myth of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. With these objects I merge my love of Cyprus, myths, nature and women. I use a number of symbols associated with the goddess and her stories, the curves of the kimata (waves) objects and their ‘rocking’ stands reflect the action of the sea, her birth in a scallop shell is seen in the stands of the yennisi (birth) series, the others focus on her body (including leptomeria- details), her often revealing attire and her punishment.