Andrea Tyrimos

About

Contemporary artist, Andrea Tyrimos, creates an innovative exhibition to depict the ‘many faces’ of mental illness.  

As you enter the exhibition you will be confronted with intimate, illuminated oil paintings of both celebrities and the public. An audio piece will accompany the paintings, revealing their innermost thoughts. The premise is that these people generally lack common ground, save for the fact that they are all united by their experiences with mental illness - this is to show the cross-section of people affected. The purpose is to break down the stigma that still very much exists.

Andrea says that ‘portraiture can be thought of as simply representing a likeness, yet I try to use the paint to marry their external appearance to their inner self, in an attempt to capture the intangible mental state of each sitter. The media tends only to shed light on mental illness when it concerns a celebrity, but what about the vast numbers of ordinary people who are also suffering?’

This is why members of the public are being painted alongside celebrities, to use society’s obsession with celebs to open the door and make them view others in the same light. Bill Oddie, Alastair Campbell and Kerry Katona are just a few of the names involved.

Andrea Tyrimos graduated in Fine Art from Central St Martins in 2009, and has exhibited extensively since then; including a London solo show, and shows in the UK and Europe. She has been featured in publications such as the Evening Standard, Time-Out, and the UK’s Elle and IN London magazines. Awards include the Signature Art People’s Choice Painting Award  and the Art & Escape Award – chosen and awarded by McAlpine Miller. Her BRICK project was debuted at London’s Barbican Centre, and she was recently commissioned to transform an iconic London telephone box into a permanent art installation on London’s Southampton Row.

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www.andreatyrimos.com