Eleni Vryza

Artist Information

Born: 1967, Kavala, Greece
Currently Resides: Chicago, IL

Contact Information:
ele_si (at) yahoo (dot) com.mx

Medium(s) Worked in:
Painting
Murals
Sculpture
Performance
Installation
Printmaking

Artist CV:
Download file

HPAC Exhibitions

2006, Material Science

Artist Statement

Chinese theater is primarily visual rather than talking theater (huaju) as Chinese name the western theater we are all familiar with. Operatic face painting is traditionally used to portray supernatural beings, “crafty” people, and characters not easily identified due to their spiritual or changing nature. Opera face painting serves not only the purpose of enhancing the beauty of a performance, but symbolizes the nature of characters: Simple, uncomplicated patterns indicate characters of high position or strong nature, because such a person would have a serious and imperturbable face. A “hot-headed” character or person of lower intellect has less control over facial expressions, and is therefore portrayed with a more complicated and uncomposed appearance. The faces of the figures in my paintings are painted with red, black, white, green, and gold, and the color characterizes the spectacle. The vibrant colors and the strength of color to portray character visually/silently engage me totally.

Opera face painting serves not only the purpose of enhancing the beauty of a performance, but symbolizes the nature of characters.

Mask making fascinates me. I use plaster and cheese cloth to make the molds of my masks. Then, I draw the designs and paint them with acrylics. I apply gloss over the acrylics. The size of my masks is that of the human face. My masks are characters; the face patterns and colors express their emotions. Mask making is such a long historical tradition across so many cultures. Ancient Greek theater masks of the smiling/laughing and the crying faces (comedy/tragedy), voodoo masks, Mexican masks -beloved kachinas/la magia de la sonrisa y de juego, African masks, Commedia Dell’ Arte masks, Chinese theater masks and so many others celebrate humans in all their complexity, celestial beings, fertility, mythology, nature. It is visual theater! It is about life!

Artist Bio

I studied for my bachelor’s degree from 1998-2002 and graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China. Beijing opera and Chinese operas fascinate me. There are many local operas in China; Yue opera near Shanghai, Hebei Banji near Hebei are but a few examples. Of course, there is also Kunqu, the stylized opera developed in the imperial court. I was born in northern Greece. My mother’s mother came from Turkey. Painting together with my mother as a child and watching Ancient Greek theater and modern theater always attracted me. At Swarthmore College I completed a bachelor’s degree in Theater studies and English Literature. I also obtained a Master’s of Education from The College of New Jersey. I have lived/studied/taught world languages in France, Austria, Mexico, Israel, Spain, and China and have traveled in Turkey, Egypt, and all over Europe. I am fluent in Spanish, Chinese, Greek, English, French, Italian, Hebrew, and German. I have been living and creating in Chicago over the last two years.

Painting together with my mother as a child and watching Ancient Greek theater and modern theater always attracted me.

Press & Publications

The Central Academy of Drama, 2002
Two one-act plays in Chinese-”The Sea” and ”My Mom’s Apartment.” Also, ”When We Were Young,” a play based on the homonymous short story by Eileen Chang and the life of Eva Xiao, Jewish filmmaker and wife of poet and revolutionary Xiao San

Eleni Vryza, Translation of Greek theater and world dramatic literature to Chinese (including Sam Shepard’s one act play, ”Rock Garden”; first translation in Chinese)

Eleni Vryza, ”Nel Noddings’ and Paulo Freire’s pedagogies of the heart,”
”Dialogues in Faith and Study: An Interdisciplinary Academic Conference Exploring Faith in the Sciences, the Humanities, and the Professions”, Loyola University Chicago, October 2006.

Eleni Vryza, ”American Indians and Vlahoi from the Balkans,”
32nd Annual Bilingual Multicultural Education Equity Conference (Excellence and Equity For All), Fairbanks, AK, February 2006.

Eleni Vryza, ”The Vlahoi linguistic and ethnic minority in the Balkans,”
Annual European and Global Studies Conference, University of Nebraska at Omaha,Omaha,NE, October 2005.

Eleni Vryza, ”The State of Chinese Education” approved for publishing in Eastern Studies journal in August 2006.

Past Commissions

1992, Swarthmore Foundation Grant, outreach multicultural performance projects in Philly and Swarthmore

Teaching Experience

Teaching Certified?: yes

Fluent in Spanish, Chinese, Greek, English, French, Italian, Hebrew, and German.

Hyde Park Art Center Courses:

coming soon…

Additional Information

DuSable Museum of African-American History, Chicago, IL:
Presented in a training workshop for Chicago Public School teachers about Beijing opera and African masks. Fall 2005.

Chicago Public Schools, Office of Language and Culture, Chicago, IL: School outreach;
presented workshops for teachers and students (elementary and middle school level) in Spanish; Mandarin and French language instruction through arts education (Beijing opera masks). 2004-2005.

Powell School, Philadelphia, PA: Presented Greek culture and language to Middle and Primary School students through the use of linguistic improvisation games. Spring 1992.

Writing intern, New Dramatists, New York City, NY. Summer 1992

Writing intern, Women’s Project & Productions, New York City, NY. Summer 1992
Theatre for the New City, New York City, NY: Wrote in workshop given by playwright Maria Irene Fornes. December 1995-January 1996

1995-1996: Instructor, University of LaVerne, Athens Campus.
Taught English language and drama. Taught ”Rehearsing and Directing”; organized the Ensemble, and worked collaboratively with the students who performed two full-length plays at the end of the semester (written by British playwrights: Alan Ayckbourn’s Confusions and Michael Frayn’s Noises Off).

Copyright © 2006 A:LIST.

Hyde Park Art Center