Sofia Athineou

I am Greek and I live and work in the Waitakere Ranges of Aotearoa. I am a devotee of art. A mixed-media artist with an emphasis in glass, a medium with many sensual and optical qualities. I love using glass to express myself artistically. I love the way it looks and feels and the way it reflects and distorts light. I capture passion and emotion by refracting the vibrant colours of glass, through the forms I create. Natural patterns interest me infinitely.

I work with organic forms that show elemental forces like wind, fire and water. Depicting movement particularly interests me while I make my glassworks. The constant movement of these elements is captured in my sculptures and enhanced by the play of light inside the glass.

My work has shifted in focus lately to bigger size works and installations that target different social issues from rape to refugees. These works also incorporate with other materials like metal, stone, wood, found objects, harakeke etc.. Size means a lot to me. The joy and satisfaction that I get from creating big works are really fulfilling.  My passion for bigger size works and installation means that I can only create a couple of big works per year, that makes them even more special plus a handful of small works.

​My art constantly reflects my state of mind, my Greek heritage and my surrounding nature.