The Isle of Wight NHS Trust shares details of this latest exhibition. Ed
An exhibition of artwork by Sara Kouvaritakis is on display in the Full Circle Exhibition area at St. Mary’s Hospital until the end of September 2019.
Sara Kouvaritakis, who was born on the Island and grew up in Ventnor, originally trained as a musician but decided that she preferred the visual arts and self-taught.
Sara practised as a visual artist, living in a small studio flat in Newport during the 1980-90s, making brightly painted papier-mache sculptures of figures and animals. Visiting her studio was an extraordinary experience with every space displaying her work from small maquettes to life-size figures, all in her unique style.
Work already displayed in hospital
The Trust commissioned the ‘Acrobat’ sculpture from her in 1990 for the then-new North Entrance, where it is still on display today. Its original maquette and other figures can also be found on display around the hospital.
Those who knew Sara know that she never enjoyed good health and that she was always keen for her work to be seen by persons who might gain support and inspiration from being alongside it. She was a founder member of the ‘Seahorse Garden’ now alongside the St. Mary’s pond, which recognises the survivors of childhood abuse.
Bequest to art collection
In October 2018 Sara who was living in Ryde at the time, was mostly making paintings and mixed media reliefs, sadly died and this exhibition is a display of her and her family’s bequest to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust art collection.
The artwork in pastel and watercolour on paper come from the start of her career and are a powerful sequence of works exploring states of mind and emotions.
Showcasing vision and aspirations
The paintings and reliefs, follow the period of her sculptures and three dimensional works, and show her skills of innovation to turn almost any form of surplus or discarded object or material into an image that illustrates her personal vision and aspiration for the wider society around her.
Get in touch
If you would like to know more about the artist or would like the works to be displayed in the part of the trust you work in for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff then please contact [email protected]
