Profoundly inspired by our earliest predecessors and their inherent curiosity for exploring natural environs, Eleni Rivers’ works reflect a captivation with nature and an allure with its enormity, diversity and ingenuity. Existing in the space between abstract and representational, her works abstain from depicting nature as it appears in actuality and, instead, integrate symbolic, enigmatic imagery, concentrated colours and conceptualised configurations which she describes as Botanical Surrealism. These works are influenced by a coalescence of Eleni’s internal dream state and external experiences. What transpires on the canvas is an attuned perception of place and an undercurrent of custodial care for the outer environment.

With a desire to explore concepts pertaining to the nature of humans within nature, and to reintroduce the human form, her theme HUMAN NATURE/NATURE HUMAN examines the intimacies and synchronicities we forge with our surrounds. Derived from a need to balance her civilised self with her primal essence, these works pursue an intuitive understanding of our position within our present circumstances, as well as the world at large. Observing outer variations and responses, in addition to the rhythms and flows consistent with the inner landscape, the fundamental sensations of connection and belonging are underscored, and our soul’s connection to the environment is evaluated.

Now based in Central Victoria, Eleni has acquired art degrees from several Australian tertiary institutions, as well as a masters in Arts and Consciousness from Berkeley, California. Since 1982, she’s been a visual arts educator at a number of Australian colleges, including Melbourne University, the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE and the Centre for Adult Education. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, and her works are held in many private collections worldwide.