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Before the opening of the exhibition, we spent some time talking with Emi Avora about the themes behind her new body of work, her painting process, and the unique stories behind each artwork. Following the opening, we delved deeper into Avora’s practice in a panel discussion with the exhibition curator, Virginie Puertolas-Syn, and the Director of the Hellenic Centre, Dr Nayia Yakoumaki. 

Below, you can read the transcript of our exhibition walk-through with the artist. At the end of the transcript, you can also watch the full recording of our panel discussion, which offers further insight into Avora’s artistic practice, influences, and the ideas underpinning the exhibition.

On the theme and its connection to Borges

"The theme was put together in conjunction with Virginie, because she connected Borges's writing with the work. There are various themes in my work that somehow appear in Borges's semiology — one is multiverses, different things happening at the same time. The notion of time, where it starts, where it ends, the non-linearity. So there's maybe something happening in the past, but it's also happening now.

With painting, you have this confusion of time because it's not a linear progression — you don't start and finish one goal. It might start, and then something else comes in. There is also this reflection of different layers of existence that I'm interested in. The existence of the everyday, or reality, but then also another layer of existence that is very much fictional and is in our heads. It's an imaginary kind of life that we each have, and it exists somewhere, and somehow I'm trying to put these together in the work.

So you will see familiar things, recognisable things — especially if you're from where I live: chairs, objects, things you might recognise. But they're put together in a way that is very fictional, very imaginary. These ideas of layering work with multitudes of time, labyrinths — where things get repeated and therefore there is a confusion, and then chaos. So it's like ordering chaos. And also mirrors and windows — openings into other worlds. These were the connections for the theme."

On the painting process

"I work with canvas that is not stretched at the beginning. It's on the floor — sometimes piles of canvas — and I use the remainder of my paint to stain the canvas. So when I then stretch it, there is already a stain, some kind of remainder on the surface. I use that as an initial structure. For me it's almost a patina, a history that is there before I start introducing the image.

Sometimes I work in a very abstract place first — almost looking at colours and structures before I produce the images. They come in in a very organic way. I start with one element, then something else comes in, and maybe something else joins them together. During that process, there is always a dialogue between figuration and abstraction. I look at the different details, but also at the painting as a whole, because it needs to make sense as a whole — as an abstraction. You should understand it even if you don't see all the details. Then you can go closer and see specifics. There is always this dialogue of looking at specificities, then going back and looking at it almost like an abstract painting — and that continuation of dialogue continues until, at some point, I feel like it's finished."

On moving from abstraction to figuration

"I used to paint abstract — yes, quite a long time ago. I used to make very large, unstretched paintings that were quite sculptural, almost like mapmaking. They look very different to what I do now. But some elements from that — in the way I treat the rhythm of the painting — still exist.

At some point I switched to figuration because I feel it allows more freedom. With abstraction, it's a language, it's a gesture, but after a while you can't always invent new gestures. I ended up repeating myself. I thought: with figuration I can bring in whatever I want. It could be any image, anything that comes up. It was another tool to open up the practice. I found more freedom in figuration."

On colour

"I treat colour almost like an abstraction. I don't look at colour necessarily as a way to create a naturalistic depiction. I start with some images, but then I put them away — I'm not trying to copy or replicate. It's more about emotion and feeling. It's very intuitive.

There is no perspective — the painting is relatively flat. Spatial elements happen through lines and light, not through the rendering of colour. The colour is quite flat and almost emotive — it creates a feeling, a reaction. I try to create the idea of a portal with the light and colours. There is almost a stepping into another reality. They are like thresholds — ideally you step in, and then you can step even further in, like a window. I'm always trying to open up an exit point, a further visual journey that leads you onto another opening.

The colours are an emotive tool to draw you in and create a parallel universe — a fictional world that is parallel to our reality, with similar elements."

On 'A Visitor to My Own Story'

"This one is a combination of images and pictures I took from a food court in Singapore. I'm very interested in neglected corners — where something is happening that is very everyday, not grand. There was a corner in Chinatown with all these chairs and stools. I use them a lot because they really anchor the composition — they create these marks and are very spatial. They invite presence, but also denote absence. You could imagine somebody stepping in to sit down, or somebody who just left."

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"That scenery is combined with images from my own studio — the plants, the stool, and the reference to the ceramics were part of my own space. It was almost like putting them together in a semi-space.

The Greek statue: I'm interested in putting unrelated elements together. The Greek element is almost like a representation of my own ground — or my own self. So it's a metaphor. And there is also humour — what is this head doing with these plastic chairs, and the ancient Greek, and then the tropical fruit? They're all trying to exist on the same picture plane.

The title came from something I listened to. I first put A Stranger to My Own Story, but I changed it to A Visitor — "stranger" felt a little too negative, a little dramatic. The feeling I wanted was this idea of things happening around you and in front of you, and you are in them, but you're also outside. As a painter, you almost take yourself outside of a scene because you're looking at it from a painter's point of view. It's also a metaphor for my own life — things happen, and you're just kind of visiting what's going on. I'm a visitor in my own existence. Yeah, that's the gist. But there are many layers."

On 'Infinite GAME'

"This one is the most immersed in tropical nature. Before going to Singapore I was painting quite large architectural paintings — fictional interiors. At some point I made a painting called Jungle, which I have in Singapore. When I went to Singapore I thought: this is the baroque. All these huge leaves and this tropical nature that you can't move away from — it's just there all the time. I've used that as a tool for my painting.

"This is probably the only one with a figure — it's based on my friend's son. I took a picture of him. I'm quite interested in how kids become so absorbed in an activity. There is a tranquillity they can find — everything could be going crazy, but they'll just be focused on what they're doing.

The references to vases are based on Greek vases, and some of my own ceramics. The title is Infinite Game — because it could be a repeated conversation between the objects and the leaves. And these paintings — they finish at some point, but they could go on forever."

On 'Major Shifts'

"This one references my interest in open portals and windows — it's really obvious in this one. The suggestion of something beyond the painting. I wanted to create a still life that is not still — it's shifting, almost vibrating. There are elements of Asian pottery and Greek/Mediterranean elements, but I wanted to add in some Asian elements as well — you can see a dragon shape, some fish. An accumulation of objects from different cultural references."

"The main theme of this painting was this shifting, almost vibrating quality. When you see the objects, they're not really objects — they're almost impressions that move through you. That's the feeling I wanted.

The purple and violet are predominant — I wanted that intensity. It's probably the most intense painting in terms of colour. It's almost like a bleached light, so your eyes can't focus — a sense of dizziness. Almost like opening your eyes for the first time in the morning."

On 'An Old World that Feels New' 

I'm always very drawn to tables and chairs — they're a big part of my compositions. They create a space by themselves. There is also this idea of potential coming together — a centre point. This combines a scene from a coffee house with chairs that also remind me a lot of a kafeneio; the traditional Greek coffee house. So it's very much a combination of Greekness and Asian ideas — you have the tiling in an Asian parang-style pattern, and a painting within a painting showing a completely different, more European mountainous landscape. And you have a very Mediterranean plant — a prickly pear — and references to ancient figures and Greek pottery.

"This one very much started with splashes. You can almost see the initial stages — it's like an X-ray of what was happening before. I wanted to leave it very washed, not overly described. Some areas are glazed, some are rough, some have thicker paint. I used oil sticks in places, which is why it's more vibrant and dense. But then I really love the washed-out areas — very light wash, you can see the single layer underneath. It almost has a watercolour feel, building up gradually. When I want something stronger, I might swap to oil — usually water-based oil. I used to use oil mediums a lot, but I became a bit concerned about them for my health, especially with the kids around."

On knowing when a painting is finished

"I take photos. There's a process of painting, and at some point I feel I'm close to finishing. I take photos and look at them outside the studio — that helps me a lot, because in the studio I think it's finished, but when I look at it in a photo somewhere else, I know it needs more work. It's a backwards and forwards.

I usually work on several paintings at the same time — something on the floor and something on the wall, different stages. There is a danger of overworking. It could go on forever. If you overdo it, the thickness of paint just becomes too much. So I try to underwork — leave it at a point where I feel I could do something else, but I won't. It's a sweet spot."

To continue the conversation, watch the full panel discussion below, where Emi Avora is joined by curator Virginie Puertolas-Syn and Hellenic Centre Director Dr Nayia Yakoumaki to explore the themes, influences, and ideas behind the exhibition in greater depth.

'Myriad: The Garden of Infinite Paths' is open till June 26th, 2026. 
To enquire about availability of works please click here. 

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