Bio

Mariandrie (b. 1989) is a Cypriot artist whose multidisciplinary practice blends painting, installation art, and textiles to challenge societal preconceptions, particularly around gender, and to foster fresh perspectives. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Art, Lancaster University (UK), and an MA in Visual Arts in Education from the European University in Cyprus. Mariandrie has participated in artist residencies across the globe, including Arthaus Lab in Cuba as part of the 2019 Havana Biennale, Memeraki in Cyprus, Phoenix Gallery in Athens, and Schafhof European Art Forum in Germany. Her work has been showcased in two solo exhibitions at The Edit Gallery (Cyprus) and Phoenix Gallery (Athens) in 2022, as well as numerous group exhibitions in galleries, museums, and art fairs across Cyprus, Greece, the UK, and Cuba. Notable group exhibitions include Contemporary Womanhood 1.0: Present Femininities at Alex Mylona Museum in Athens, Cyprus Insula: History-Memory-Reality at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Nicosia, and Repetitive Acts at NiMAC in Nicosia. Her artworks are featured in private collections and the prestigious State Gallery of Cyprus. In addition to her artistic practice, Mariandrie has actively contributed to the arts community as an art teacher, museum educator, gallery assistant, and exhibition curator. She currently lives and works between Cyprus and Greece.

Statement

The fundamental of Mariandrie's artistic practice is encountered in the conjunction between two seemingly opposite notions, that are integrated to assemble a space that encompasses a new narrative. The concept of opposites is reproduced between the male and the female, modern and contemporary, the self and the other,  rigidity and softness, and past and present.  By building these hybrids, unexplored opportunities arise which enable the self to exist in relation to the other, creating more freedom and inclusivity for all. 

As a multidisciplinary artist, she rejects any limitations regarding a specific medium but allows herself to express an idea in whichever medium she finds necessary. However, there is a substantial preference toward the use of fiber, as it resonates with her and her background since it was highly associated with the female gender. By abandoning conventional approaches to fiber technique, aesthetics, and form, the medium is rediscovered, reconstructed, and/or deconstructed. 

Color, composition, and scale are carefully considered as an attempt to articulate the message in a way that is both nuanced and diplomatic yet demanding of our attention. Sensitivity is critical in the work, butting up against politics - both collective and individual - which is camouflaged by beauty and aesthetics. The purpose is to rethink the stereotypes and dismantle any notion of a subject and an object. The one does not define the other, but they both re-invent themselves collectively, merging the gap between them.

From experimenting with the idea of the fiber and its symbolization to analyzing color and its association with gender, to creating genderless forms that re-contextualize the perception of the body a spectrum of diverse questions comes to the spotlight: Why is there a distinct differentiation between masculine and feminine colors, practices, and materials? What is the role of female artists within the art world? What kind of work should female artists produce? Does gender matter in producing art? What stereotypes are maintained and reinforced? Can the self meet the other in absolute alignment? Is the human experience absolute and universal? What is contemporary art? In what ways is art important? and many more.