On display at the Saatchi Gallery in London, Sofia Laskari‘s works stand out for their highly detailed realistic technique in stark contrast with the effect of the unfinished. The young artist exhibits her latest series titled Body and Flesh, the same title of which gives its name to her debut solo exhibition. The opportunity to exhibit in one of the most renowned galleries internationally comes following her win of the Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year award, promoted by the Saatchi Gallery itself. Laskari was selected from over 1,500 candidates, distinguishing herself for her narrative ability and strong pictorial symbolism. Her canvas works explore the most vulnerable aspect of human beings. The body is shown in its intimate nudity, enclosed in a personal sphere in a private dialogue with itself. Sofia Laskari’s subjects are almost always feminine, very young, or decidedly elderly. The nuances of the skin, as well as its textures, are carefully handled through a palette of bright colors and meticulous details.

The interesting aspect of Sofia Laskari’s works is the stark contrast that is created between realism and the unfinished, harking back to Michelangelo’s sculptural technique such that the figures appear as if trapped in the material itself. The same thing happens for Laskari as well. Although her subjects are charged with a strong three-dimensionality, similarly the surfaces left unfinished give the composition a dynamism such that the subjects seem to be born and die within the canvas. Laskari’s technique makes possible an empathetic approach on the part of the viewer, who watches the subjects’ physical and mental challenges while recognizing his own.

Courtesy Sofia Laskari, Saatchi Gallery