BIO
The artwork of Anastasia Pelias reflects a seriousness and dedication to traditional art practice that is strikingly relevant in the context of today’s postmodern art culture. An abstractionist in the truest form, Pelias’ work arises from a passion for painting, both the concept and the actuality—for the literalness of painting. Her canvases, explorations in brilliant color and visual relationships, are refreshingly free of irony and splendidly full of painterly forthrightness. Pelias was born in New Orleans, LA to Greek parents. Her artistic practice is rooted in the dual cultural identity of both her native and ancestral roots in New Orleans, LA and Skopelos, Greece. Blending the vibrant, compassionate nature of a New Orleanian with her weighty Greek heritage, Pelias’ work is rich with personal depth of emotion, life experience and the spirit of exploration.
Pelias received her BFA from the Newcomb College at Tulane University in 1981. Her career spans thirty years and multiple reinventions. In her three decades as a practicing artist Pelias has married, divorced, raised two beautiful daughters, received her MFA from the University of New Orleans, and built a life and studio in a gorgeous historic home in idyllic Uptown New Orleans. Anastasia Pelias is represented in New Orleans by Heriard-Cimino Gallery, has exhibited nationally and has works included in private and public collections, including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I create human-sized abstract paintings that communicate through the vocabulary of color, light and gesture. My process is both deliberate and intuitive—the paintings are built from multiple layers of oil paint, turpentine washes and gestural marks. The surfaces are fetishized, luminous and translucent. My color choices originate from memory and experience, from the natural and artificial world. Using thoughtful and expressive color combinations, investigating how one color sits next to another, my paintings seek to evoke places, moments and consciousness. I insist that the hand of the artist is discreet yet evident.
RESUME
Lives and works in New Orleans
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011
Washed (to the sea and other waters), Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2009
Automatics, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2004
New Paintings, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2001
700 ft. square, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1998
6 Medium Sized Paintings, Still-Zinsel Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1996
1 painting 8 times, The Mermaid Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Paintings and Drawings, University of New Orleans Fine Arts Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Recent Paintings, Still-Zinsel Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1989
drawings, x art gallery, New Orleans, LA
1988
Abstract Works on Paper, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1986
Recent Drawings, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1984
Anastasia Pelias Antippas, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 TODAY’S VISUAL LANGUAGE: SOUTHERN ABSTRACTION, A FRESH LOOK, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama NOLA NOW, Part II, Abstraction, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Don Marshall, Curator Everything all at Once, Antenna Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2011
A Disease of the Oyster, Prospect.2 Biennial Satellite Exhibition, The Pearl, New Orleans, LA, John Otte, Curator Catalyst, Centre for the Living Arts, co-sponsored by the Joan Mitchell Center, Mobile, AL, Robin Wallis Atkinson, Curator
Fresh, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
mara/thalassa/kai: the SEA, three-person exhibition, The University of New Orleans St. Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Purchase: National Biennial Juried Exhibition, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, Barbara Bloemink, Juror
Parameter: Domains: Wanderings, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
2010
Heat // Humidity, 930 Toulouse Street, New Orleans, LA, Robin Wallis Atkinson, Curator
mara/thalassa/kai: the SEA, three-person exhibition, Edge Gallery, Denver, Colorado
Visiting Artist Exhibition, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, New Orleans, LA
2009
Two Eyes, a Nose and a Mouth, The University of New Orleans St. Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA
46th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA, Miranda Lash, Juror
Art in Bloom, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA
HxWxD: Thirty Years of MFA at UNO, The University of New Orleans St. Claude Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Muses, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Postcards from the CAC, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Dan Cameron, Curator
2008
The St. Claude Collective, Prospect.1 Biennial Satellite Exhibition, New Orleans, LA, Andy Antippas, Curator
Entre’Acte, Prospect.1 Biennial Satellite Exhibition, Bush Antiques, New Orleans, LA, John Otte, Curator
40 from New Orleans, Synovate & Arts Council, New Orleans, LA
Elemental 3, Home Space Gallery, New Orleans, LA
The Apostolic Project, site-specific collaborative installation, ArtInAction, Holy Cross, LA
2006
Drawn to the Wall, Eichold Gallery, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL, Wanda Sullivan, Curator
Fête des Femmes Group Invitational Exhibition, Carroll Gallery, Newcomb College, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
COLOR, space 301, Centre for the Living Arts, Mobile, AL
Intersection, l’art Noir, New Orleans, LA
2005
United States Department of State Art in Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy Port Louis, Mauritius
Motion/Stasis, Carroll Gallery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, Laura Richens, Curator
Hydriotaphia, Barrister’s Gallery, New Orleans, LA, Andy Antippas & Dan Tague, Curators
2004
Recent Aquisitions, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
Postcards to the CAC, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
2003
Cerebration, Art Off Center, Invitational Exhibition, Mobile, AL
Louisiana Purchase Dismantled, Barrister’s Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2002
Liquid, The Pickery, New Orleans, LA
2001
28th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA, John Bullard, Juror
Group Invitational, The Mermaid Gallery, New Orleans, LA
sextablos: works on metal, Augen Gallery, Portland, OR
2000
100-Mile Radius: New Orleans, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola, FL
Faculty Exhibit Recent Works, Isaac Delgado Fine Arts Gallery, New Orleans, LA
7 Muses, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
in the moment, The Mermaid Gallery, New Orleans, LA
sextablos: works on metal, Barrister’s Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1999
Louisiana Open, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
September Preview ’99, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1998
Guns in the Hands of Artists, District of Columbia Arts Center, Washington, D.C., Brian Borello, Curator
1997
Entergy Louisiana Open, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Marti Mayo, Curator
it works for me, baby, The Mermaid Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1996
Louisiana Abstraction, Clark Hall Gallery, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
Art in Bloom, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA
Guns in the Hands of Artists, Positive Space Gallery, New Orleans, LA, Brian Borello, Curator
1995
Group Show, Still-Zinsel Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1994
Under-XPosed, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Lew Thomas, Curator
1992
Trenton State College National Drawing Exhibition, The Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, Samuel C. Miller, Curator
1987
Spring Centennial Alumnae Exhibit, Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Newcomb College, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Art for Art’s Sake, Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, LA
MiniMajor Works, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Don Marshall, Curator
Suzanne Tanner/Anastasia Pelias Antippas, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
1985
Group Show, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
EDUCATION
1996 MFA, Painting, University of New Orleans
1981 BFA, Painting, Newcomb College, Tulane University
AWARDS / LECTURES / CURATORIAL
2010
Creative Capital / Louisiana Division of the Arts Professional Development Program, Baton Rouge, LA
Artist in Residence, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, New Orleans, LA, March
2009
Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation Economic Opportunity Grant
2004
ArtSpeak, a monthly series of artist-led discussions, Moderator, Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, LA
1997
Juror’s Award, Entergy Louisiana Open: Marti Mayo, Juror, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
ArtSpeak, a monthly series of artist-led discussions, Presenter, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
1994
Graduate Assistantship, University of New Orleans, 1994-96
1988
Curator – Harold Carney: A Memorial Exhibition, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fluid Dynamics: Anastasia Pelias’ “Washed (to the sea and other waters)” at Heriard-Cimino Gallery, Reggie Michael Rodrigue, Louisiana Aesthetic, December 14, 2011, http://anastasiapelias.com/2011/12/fluid-dynamics-anastasia-pelias-washed-to-the-sea-and-other-waters-at-heriard-cimino-review-on-louisiana-aesthetic/
Sea Changes: The Art of Anastasia Pelias, Reggie Michael Rodrigue, Hyperallergic, July 19, 2011, http://hyperallergic.com/29186/anastasia-pelias%E2%80%99-sea-change
Edge members put on a good-looking show, Michael Paglia, Denver Westword Arts, April 15, 2010
Trentenial: MFA at UNO, Karl Volkner, New Orleans Art Review, 2009
Muses: Anti-trend, Terrington Cala, New Orleans Art Review, 2009
Feminine Mystique, D. Eric Bookhardt, The Gambit, January 13, 2009
The Apostolic Project: Representing disaster and survival with thousands of paper ships, Meri Clark, ARTVOICES, June 2008, photo
Rising with the Tide, Doug MacCash, The Times Picayune, Lagniappe, April 18, 2008, photos and video online at NOLA.com
An Uneasy Equilibrium, Terrington Calas, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 32-33, March/April 2001
Throwing a Curve, Doug MacCash, The Times Picayune, Lagniappe, February 2, 2001
Viewing the Muses, D. Eric Bookhardt, Gambit Weekly, June 27, 2000
Intimate Families, D. Eric Bookhardt, Gambit Weekly, May 16, 2000
sextablos, Christopher Fischer, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 22-24, May/June 2000
Erotic art show puts fantasies down on tin, Doug MacCash, The Times-Picayune, Lagniappe, May 12, 2000
Reflecting, Marion McLellan, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 42-44, May 1998
Anastasia Pelias, Marian McLellan, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 18-19, April 1996
Open Season, D. Eric Bookhardt, Gambit Weekly, June 10, 1994
Under-XPosed, Terrington Cala, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 4-7, March 1994
Under-XPosed Violets, D. Eric Bookhardt, Gambit Weekly, March 1, 1994
x art exhibit high in style, Roger Green, The Times-Picayune, Lagniappe, May 21, 1989
Private Evolutions, David Rive, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 12-13, September 1987
Antippas at Bienville, Calvin Harlan, The New Orleans Art Review, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 31, March/April 1986
More Impressive Works Than Ever in CAC Exhibit, Roger Green, The Times Picayune, Lagniappe, October 13, 1985
Emerging Artists, Luba Glade, Gambit Weekly, March 24, 1984
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
Iberia Bank Collection, Layfayette, Metairie and Shreveport, LA
Synovate Marketing, London, England, UK
Douthit Design Group, Houston, TX
PUBLICATIONS
Catalyst: Artists of Southern Louisiana Respond to the Gulf Oil Crisis, (catalog), Robin Wallis Atkinson, 2011, photo
Tiresias Reflex: The Automatics of Anastasia Pelias, (catalog), Dominique Nahas, 2009, photos
H x W x D Thirty Years of MFA at UNO, (catalog), Karl Volkmar, 2009, photos
The Eyes of the World are Upon Us – Again, Melissa Bienvenu, Country Roads Magazine, November 2008, photo
Studio Reflects Artistic Healing After Katrina, Renee Peck, The Times-Picayune, inside out, August 9, 2008, pp. 6-7, photos
Intersection/New Orleans, p. 26, corner of Frenchmen & Royal, Press Street, 2006, photo
Gallery Insider, Linked (green and black), Fall 2004, cover photo
United States Embassy Port Louis, Mauritius, (catalog), Art in Embassies Program, Miss April, p. 14, February 2003, photo
Metropolitan Home, Her Sweets, p. 75, January/February 2001, photo
New American Paintings, Steven T. Zevitas, pp. 92-93, Wellesley, MA, 1997, photo
Entergy Louisiana Open, Marti Mayo, (catalog), Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, 1997
Ellipsis 1996, Hammer, volume 24, University of New Orleans, 1996, cover photo
Under-XPosed, Lew Thomas, (catalog), Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, 1994, photo