New Forms, New Voices: Mary Savva
Mary Savva utilizes figurative painting to investigate the fluid concepts of human nature, belonging, and the evolving definition of home. Her recent oeuvre interrogates culture and identity by juxtaposing landscapes rooted in her Cypriot upbringing with those of her residences in London and Seoul. Within these compositions, figures often appear detached, seemingly collaged onto the terrain to underscore a palpable physical and emotional estrangement from place. Savva frequently integrates Hellenistic sculptures - artifacts severed from their origins and relocated to foreign institutions - as symbolic self-portraits. These fragmented histories mirror her own experience of movement and dislocation, serving as a lens through which to examine how images migrate, mutate, and are perpetually reinterpreted across time. Repetition anchors her methodology; a singular motif often spawns a series of variations, creating visual rhythms that disrupt straightforward representation and refocus attention on the act of painting itself. By deliberately leaving sections of the canvas unpainted, she fractures the illusion of the image to expose the underlying structure of the medium. This strategy positions painting simultaneously as subject and process, compelling the viewer to contemplate the mechanisms by which images are constructed, replicated, and reimagined.
Mary Savva (b. 1993) is a Cypriot artist living and working between London, Limassol, and Seoul. Her practice centres on figurative painting to explore themes of identity, belonging, and the shifting nature of home, often incorporating displaced Hellenistic sculptures and employing repetition to challenge traditional representation.
125 Space is proud to present New Forms, New Voices, a group exhibition showcasing the work of eleven emerging artists selected from a competitive open call that highlighted the vibrant and diverse talent currently shaping the local art scene.
As a platform committed to supporting emerging talent, 125 Space provides a professional context in which new artists can present their work and engage with collectors, curators, and the wider creative community. New Forms, New Voices reflects a dedicated interest in how these artists are redefining visual language through rigorous experimentation, material exploration, and critical engagement with contemporary conditions. While the selected works respond, both explicitly and intuitively, to urgent questions of identity, place, and cultural inheritance, they remain firmly open to broader global dialogues, demonstrating how new voices contribute to ongoing conversations within the international artistic community.
Exhibition opening
Friday, 5th of June 2026 at 18:00
Exhibition duration
6th of June – 18th of July 2026