This weekend, artists from the Alphington area will open their studio doors to the public providing a unique insight to the personal spaces of painters, potters, photographers and sculptors. An annual event, the Alphington Open Studio Weekend encourages genuine interaction with artists whose studios are all within walking distance of one another.
Nikos Siouzios-Maher is a sculptor. He has been working solidly in preparation for visitors who will be able to experience his work in the environment it was created in. Nikos is enthusiastic about the event, “It’s been quite busy the last three or four months getting ready and now is the time for the opening.”
His muscular sculptures are made from wood, stone and steel, but it is wood that he is most fascinated by as a medium. “I like the feel of it, the tactile thing. I can find a trunk or a piece of wood lying on the side of the street and I pick it up and I take it home … As a kid back in Greece, I used to carve with my father and it stayed with me.” Nikos originates from Epirus in the Northwest of Greece. It is an area of rugged terrain near the border of Albania. “My parents were shepherds, they had sheep and goats. They were nomads. In the summer they would go up into the high mountains where the pastures were and during the winter they would travel closer to the coast.”
Some of these influences are evident in Nikos sculpture; he believes that certain images and patterns stay with an artist subconsciously from their childhood. In Nikos’ own work he can identify “a Corinthian column for example. I think I am influenced by the ancient times.”
Having moved to Athens for schooling as an eight-year-old, Nikos ended up working on cargo ships before coming to Australia in 1984. “I came to Melbourne and never moved. I love Melbourne,” he says.
The Alphington Open Studio Weekend promises to be an especially cooperative occasion, one that incorporates an enjoyable tour around Alphington whilst hopping from one artistic engagement to the next. “It’s a community thing, it’s ten artists in the local area and we open our studios to the public. People can look at such different mediums- there is painting, ceramics, sketches and mosaics. You can go to the studio and look at art and talk to the artist then you walk to the next one and so on.”
As Nikos states, he is one of many artists participating in the weekend’s activities. The variety of work on display should satisfy the tastes of more discerning art lovers and those who simply want to be involved in an inspiring community event. “These are the private homes of the artists so you get a peek at their lives,” Nikos says.
Print off the brochure and map from the website for full details. The Alphington Open Studio Weekend, 26-27 November, 11am to 6pm, Phone (Bridget) – 9497 1973, alphingtonstudios.wordpress.com
