Mattheos Christou
“Once Upon a Time”
8 December 2017 – 30 January 2018
Gallery K, Nicosia

“ ‘Once upon a time’ there were 240 paintings, 20 paintings for each month, from January to December 2017.

These paintings told stories of treasured moments, memories and dreams. On their surfaces unfolded stories of human emotion and scenes of life’s adventures.

I would like for the paintings of my Christmas exhibition this year to be a metaphor for the way we all feel and dream alike from time immemorial. I hope that the viewers will look at the paintings and see their own feelings, memories and aspirations.

The play with months unveiled for me the key to instilling pace to this journey,” writes Mattheos Christou.

Mattheos is renowned for his mastery in creating compositions using curved shapes and curvilinear lines. He says: “The curved line carries a primary element which fascinates me. I use it to convey movement and to communicate emotion.”

His archetypal palette marks a descend into primordial time from which new narratives will emerge. His painting evolution implies the start of a new story in the depiction of a child’s bicycle. In antithesis, his use of bold colourful red and gold is suggestive of ancient cults and rituals to life-giving sun gods, and his storytelling takes the viewer on a fascinating journey to the ancient Cycladic world.