Bio

Evi Antonio is a British Cypriot contemporary artist whose work accentuates the beauty and hidden details of the natural world.  

Applying the same level of detail she did when she painted traditionally with watercolors working as a natural history illustrator, Evi's technique combines her digital painting with hand finished prints, using the highest quality fine art paper in small editions or one-of-a-kind pieces. Evi investigates themes of rebirth, change, and transformation, highlighting the fragility of life through her depiction of butterflies. Working from real specimens, Evi examines both the physical beauty and lesser-known details of these delicate organisms.  

Working digitally, Evi is able to work on a much larger scale, as if seeing the subject under a magnifying glass, thus encouraging the viewer to feel connected to nature and experience the same awe and wonder that moves Evi. The butterfly presents itself as a reminder to the human world of the disconnect with nature in recent years, with its brief but intentional life cycle. Evi’s work asks us to reexamine our connection to the natural world, inciting awareness to reestablish harmony and balance.  

Evi exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2012. She has exhibited in solo and group shows all over the UK. Awards include; prize for Best Artist, East of England with the National Open Art 2016, The Secret Art Prize 2018, Curious Duke Gallery. Evi was one of the winners of The Cult House Open Call 2019 and Evi is currently showing her latest work in a solo show at Blacks Club in Soho London. She was shortlisted for to the Royal Academy 2022 Summer Exhibition and was selected to exhibit at The Salon des Beaux Arts Paris in their 160-year anniversary show, this month.

Artist Statement

My work is a conversation, an intimate dialogue with my love for the natural world in contrast with my urban surroundings. Each piece of art tells a story and captures a moment on my life’s journey. Reoccurring themes of butterflies and moths symbolize metamorphosis, reminding us of our own life journey and its brevity. My intention is to initiate a dialogue with the viewer and to raise awareness of our ever-worrying climate situation that puts at risk our deep rooted and essential relationship with the natural world. Through revealing the details and intricate beauty of nature, this appreciation and awe for the subject is my way of bringing to the forefront a message of how important it is for us to do all we can to protect it and to work towards restoring harmony and strengthening our connection to nature, before it is too late. Sharing sincere and soulful reactions, I see, bigger, universal themes emerge as an expression of what I feel is my true purpose in this lifetime.

www.eviantonio.co.uk