In her 14th solo show, Vasso Triga explores oases on canvas and clay. Her imagery is stimulating, with healing qualities to the viewer, focusing on nature, and the wealth of colours and organisms she encounters when enveloped by it. Oases, springs of life, emerge in the vast areas of barren desert land, like sudden wakeup calls and vital instances of nourishment. Constant adjustments in scale and perspective provoke the viewer. The use of top (plan) view may reveal a new understanding of a subject. Viewing something from a distance often renders it magical and eye-opening. It probes one to consider their very existence in relation to the wider natural environment, the untamed nature. The artist’s viewpoint adjusts effortlessly to varying scales, at times zooming in on microscopic details or zooming out to capture the entirety of an ensemble. Within a cell, the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism, elements sprout and float. Meanwhile, clusters of voracious plants rest in an oasis, patiently photosynthesising in absolute stillness. Colours announce their presence assuredly, dressing the ceramic forms with the same dynamism and decisiveness with which they flood the canvas. The contrast between fertile and barren grounds, between sunlight and shadows, offers depth and heterogeneity, tickling the imagination. In their unique formal presence, ceramic objects may awaken more than one sense. The application of colour onto their porous surface can significantly alter the initial perception of their initial form. Vasso Triga acknowledges that although the role of a ceramic object is often decorative, she always aims in rendering such works functional. The entire body of work seems to be taking shape organically, pulling information, ideas, and colours from the vast collection of imagery composed by the subconscious. The artist notes that “the choice of colours in conjunction with design composition, be it on canvas or on clay, gives birth to a special chemistry which acts beautifully, decisively, without any grounding on logic”. “To me, art almost speaks more forcefully when it appears in an imperfect, accidental, and fragmentary way, somehow just signalling its presence… I prefer the Chopin that reaches me in the street from an open window to the Chopin served in great style from the concert stage.” – Witold Gοmbrowitz (1904-1969) Evgenia Vlachaki Architect BA MSc ARB RIBA Curatorial text, exhibition consulting, and co-curation Athens, London 2023