Thesis Show
Overlooked Places
Alexandra Kampyli’s work focuses on discovering and representing overlooked places, primarily in Greece, that exist in close proximity to well-known and heavily visited landmarks. Her practice is rooted in the irony of this contrast: these spaces are often physically near sites that attract global attention, yet they remain largely unnoticed. Many people may have passed through or stood near these locations, but were too focused on something else to truly see them. Through her work, Kampyli redirects attention to these forgotten environments and invites viewers to reconsider what they overlook.
Kampyli is drawn to these places for their visible histories. Rather than being preserved in a pristine or idealized state, the structures she depicts reveal their past through layers of paint, rust, worn wood, and other material traces. Each surface holds evidence of change over time. A wall might show remnants of multiple colors, suggesting different moments in its life—for example, revealing that a building once painted pink is now white. These details become a form of storytelling, where history is not hidden but embedded within the physical surface.
In her painting process, Kampyli emphasizes these layered qualities by building up and at times disrupting the surface of the canvas. She is interested in how paint itself can mimic the textures of time, and how layers can either cohere or clash, much like the histories they represent. While her work exists in two dimensions, she incorporates the illusion of three-dimensional texture to echo the tactile quality of these environments. This approach allows her to translate physical decay and transformation into a visual experience.
Ultimately, Kampyli’s goal is to encourage viewers to pause, look more closely, and appreciate the quiet histories that exist within everyday spaces. By bringing attention to these overlooked places, she seeks to preserve their presence and prevent them from being forgotten.
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