Artists need to be resourceful if they’re going to support themselves and satisfy a patron’s dream of owning one of their works. I often find myself gazing at some of my works and feeling sad at the thought of their destiny being ‘forever in the studio’. So, I am taking action and refusing to let that be their [...]
I really like intimate exhibition spaces! Small spaces attract much attention, especially if they are great (if I may say so) and at the gallery entry and exit point like the Vestibule at Queenscliff Gallery (QG). I finally decided it was time to send Endurance out into the world. I'm working on a new body of work and feel a few of my self-portraits can finally face the world. After a few touch-ups, I also re-introduced Hare's Secret Keys. Both works incorporate the Fornasetti wallpaper that I live with and love and my two marionettes.
In 2013, when I began making progress with pain management, I had the idea to make a marionette of myself. Theo and I had just travelled to Italy (masks and Pinocchios everywhere!), and returning on the plane I watched the film, Marilyn. It dawned on me how seriously invisible many illnesses are. As much as I would have loved to make the [...]
I always hold my breath when the media comes knocking on the door. It’s just ‘norm’ that personal information always gets distorted and somehow feels like your information is suddenly owned by the writer with all rights to embellish and adjust. Whether intentional or not, I usually regret telling my story. But this time, it went well! The [...]
I am a very fortunate popet when it comes to media. The Greek community have been a huge support, especially the Greek papers and the Greek Australian Cultural League. Here’s the most recently published article in The Greek Herald, published in Greek and English. And look at me as a front-page snippet – it just makes you want [...]
Q: What were some of the foundation ideas for this exhibition project? A: If I had to use one word, it would be ‘place’. And the relationship with it; what it means when you’re in it, how it impacts you when you’re away from it, what resonates after you’ve visited or lived in it. Perhaps it’s also respecting a place – I absolutely love Venice. But maybe also, I’m simply doing the artist thing; travelling, documenting, and communicating because that is a beautiful thing to do.
(Written 1 year later!) I had an absolutely glorious 50th. With all the social media outlets, I neglected writing a post about my special occasion on my own website. With this freshen up of the website, it is an optimum excuse to create the post now. This event is a significant one – not just because I marked my 50 years of [...]
Artist and Queenscliff Gallery & Workshop (QG&W) director, Soula Mantalvanos opens her personal studio for the Bellarine Arts Trail 2018. Soula will open the doors to her newly established studio, welcoming conversation about her practice and works that will form part of QG&W’s summer group exhibition, Lustre. Having realised Parisian facades in oils, acrylics and etchings, but unable to return to Europe for over [...]
I'm in a huge transition period and it's quite unsettling. It really doesn't help with one's art practice - there's too much shifting and newness to allow me to document a body of work or even begin to tackle a subject. The only recognisable thing in life at the moment is Theo...(a very good thing!). I'm not complaining. I keep pointing out [...]
Finding themselves at a life crossroad, creative directors Soula and Theo Mantalvanos of ooi - creative communication, decided to grant themselves four months of thinking time on the East Coast of Tasmania. Away from their Collingwood routine, they were able to clarify and plan for the next stage of life, taking into serious consideration Soula's chronic pain issue and related daily limitations. Soula [...]
