As a long-time lover of art and a recent convert to the world of jazz, I was thrilled to discover the exhibition showing at Trippets Lounge Bar, a small but nonetheless enticing establishment in the heart of Sheffield. Trippets offers customers food (with two options of either a classic ‘jazz brunch’, or a more formal dining experience), drinks (their gin list is especially to be marvelled at, boasting 63 different types), and live music from a range of visiting artists.
Upon entering Trippets last Sunday, my party and I were greeted by the soft sounds of the Mark Kerrigan Trio, whose music enhanced the laid-back yet sophisticated atmosphere perfectly. The bar was relatively empty, but, in my view, such a thing is to be both expected and desired on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The décor, following a peaceful monochrome palette, is tasteful all around, and accented wonderfully by the abundance of natural light filtering in through the bar’s many skylights.
But what draws the eye the most – and, I must admit, what I was most excited to see – is the artwork of the Mediterranean-born and Sheffield-based duo Maria Marinou and Loukas Georgiou. Although they do not collaborate on the specific pieces exhibited at Trippets, Marinou and Georgiou have done so in the past, and they often work side by side in the same studio space. Marinou said ‘we regularly collaborate and get inspired from each other on a daily basis’, and indeed anyone can see that Marinou’s and Georgiou’s artistic styles complement both each other (and indeed also the general ambience of Trippets) beautifully. Although born in different countries (Marinou in Greece, and Georgiou in Cyprus), both artists’ stories converge on two essential elements: a passion for the arts, and a love for the city of Sheffield.
Maria Marinou did her masters at the University of Sheffield after graduating with a Distinction from the Athens School of Fine Arts, and she was awarded second place in the People’s Choice Award at the Fronteer Art Exhibition in 2019. She has had various exhibitions both pre- and post-pandemic, with most of them taking place either in Sheffield or in Athens, her homeland.
Loukas Georgiou studied in Cyprus, Canterbury, and, most recently, London, where he did his masters at Kingston University London. He received the Fronteer Open Judges’ Choice Award in 2021, and his 2020 online exhibition titled ‘Art Still Flourishes’ dealt poignantly with the effect that the pandemic has had on the world of art.
This is the first exhibition to be held at Trippets since the pre-pandemic era, and so of course it is wholly logical to invite Marinou, who has already had two successful solo exhibitions at Trippets in 2018 and 2019; to bring Georgiou along with her has proved a stroke of genius.
For me, the highlight of Maria Marinou’s works was definitely her ‘Study on Bouguereau & Caravaggio’. Subtitled a ‘work in progress’ (needlessly, in my opinion, as it already feels so full of life), this painting features seven individuals all dressed in brightly-coloured robes connoting luxury, but each with a different negative facial expression, ranging from confusion and boredom to irritation and despair. It is particularly the size of this painting that is the most striking thing about it, as it is much larger than many of the other works that were on display beside it, and so its bold colours are emphasised, and viewers are invited to scrutinise more deeply the supposed feelings of the characters depicted. The piece definitely resembles the work of Bouguereau and Caravaggio with its realism, and its especially notable chiaroscuro, as Marinou starkly contrasts the vibrant figures with a strong black background.
I was also struck by Marinou’s series of self portraits, which, much like the aforementioned piece, invite viewers to muse extensively on the feelings behind her relatively blank expression. My favourite of the selection was the one done with charcoal and pencil on paper. There was something about the simplicity of this medium which I found especially moving.
As regards the works of Loukas Georgiou, I found them less personal and more technical than Marinou’s. The ‘Skull Study’ series of paintings particularly interested me, as their hyper-realism reminded me somewhat of drawings one might discover and marvel at in an old-fashioned Biology textbook. Nonetheless, their miniature size yet large abundance (six of such paintings were on display throughout the exhibition) provides an especially thought-provoking note of contrast.
Speaking of contrast, Georgiou’s ‘Rodin Study’ was perhaps my favourite of his pieces exhibited at Trippets, as I found it intriguing to see the style of such a famous sculptor emulated via the medium of oil painting. I believe that Georgiou is illustrating here the true versatility of art; that is to say, that the coherence of art is found in the effect it has on others, rather than its form.
All in all, I found this exhibition wonderful, and I cannot wait to see what Maria Marinou, Loukas Georgiou, and indeed Trippets itself as a venue, have in store for the future. This exhibition is running until the 19th June and entry is free, so I highly recommend a visit before it ends. And why not treat yourself to a cocktail while you’re there?
