Riverbank Mosaic
Expanding painting into space: An open intervention.
My desire to expand painting in space is escalating and so is my intention to draw attention to the river during this exploration. I have chosen to paint the rocks that are part of the riverbank between Vasiliko and Fylla bridges. The rocks are not part of the natural environment of the river. They were transported there to become part of the anti flood construction of the river that began after the flood of August 2020. Sole pieces of big rocks supporting one another create a union of fragments. They stand together to protect. This is possible due to their union. They all play a role in the wholeness.
In a similar way people united and stood together to overcome this disaster. Historically, Greek people tend to unite to overcome an external threat but soon after they manage to confront it, they forget this bond.
My physical presence next to these big stones at the river, similar to the drawing at the estuary, required my whole body to move: walk, climb, bend, stretch in order to manage the painting “surface”. The weather conditions were different each time, dusty dry land or humid rainy atmosphere. The rocks are colored with iron oxide (yellow, green, blue and red) mixed with water without a bonding glue. As the time passes the color will fade away.












Greece 2024 | Maria Gouveli | Turning the tide