Meet Louiza Vradi | Visual Artist, Photographer & Art therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Louiza Vradi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Louiza, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by the sea, by walking, by my thoughts, by movies, by books, by heartaches, by archives, by my ancestors, by nature, by fighting social injustices, by indigenous healing, by far away lands and tales, and everything that creates a vibration in my soul. My desire to explore, wander and expand, either in my inner or the outer world, has been one of my main driving forces so far.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My journey in art imitates my journey in life, and this is definitely a non linear story. Sometimes the path is foggy and every day is a dive into unknown waters. Art has been a form of meditation for me, but also a way to shine light in dark areas. As an artist I was always eager to have a broad practice and use different mediums according to what I wanted to communicate. Besides my artistic practice I am also working as an art therapist, doing healing work with underprivileged communities.
In everything I undertake I try to not limit myself, which is something that often creates a chaotic state of mind and reality. My aim is to navigate my work and life in a purposeful way, using creativity and intuition as tools. Listening to my intuition, has been my biggest lesson so far.
Getting where I am today professionally, has been challenging and has required my complete attention, but it has definitely been rewarding. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with wonderful beings that have inspired me, empowered me and shaped me. Despite the many difficulties I have encountered, the experiences I have gained are invaluable to me.
A decade later since I started working as an artist, is a decade full of failures, but also a decade full of vibrations.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a matter of fact I am really looking forward to my best friend visiting me in Athens! For starters we would eat homemade Greek food by my grandmother and then we would definitely have a few nice dinner nights, eating Mediterranean or Asian cuisine. We both love the sea, so we would either escape in one of the closest islands, such as Kea, or we would spend some time at a beach close to Athens. We are also both art lovers so we would do a gallery walk, visiting galleries like State of Concept, Photo Void, Bernier Eliades, 1927 art space, the Benaki museum or any other great exhibition. If she comes within the next few weeks we would also visit Noucmas, where I am currently exhibiting an artwork of mine. Of course we will spend a lot of our time in Piraeus port watching some ships sailing, as this is where I live and have my studio.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mum, Antonella, Athina, my grandma, Natalie, Jo, Iliana, Mariah, Evanthia are only some of the women that have inspired me, empowered me and have been a driving force in different stages of my life.

Website: https://www.louizavradi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louizavradi/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiza-vradi-91869967/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louizavradi/

Image Credits
My personal photo is taken by Anna Pouliou. In the “additional photos” section the fifth image is a self portrait as mentioned in the image name – I was not sure if you needed that.