London-based Greek artist Sofia Mitsola invites viewers into both a visual and psychological stage with her second solo exhibition at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, titled Psyche of Fae O. The exhibition revisits the classical concept of the “boudoir,” reinterpreting themes of female representation, eroticism, and art-historical references through a contemporary lens.
Historically understood as a private female retreat, the boudoir gradually became associated with erotic fantasy and photographic culture. Mitsola transforms this intimate setting from a decorative backdrop into a painterly space of reflection. In doing so, she reframes the tradition of the nude in art history within the context of today’s visual culture.
In her new oil paintings, the figurative language of Gustav Klimt merges with a contemporary, stylized aesthetic. Porcelain-white skin, cascading red hair, and golden or smoky backgrounds create a neo Art Deco atmosphere. The figures appear both eroticized and deliberately distorted, recalling the fragmented bodies of Egon Schiele and the constructed corporeality of Hans Bellmer.
Large eyes and exaggerated lips connect fin de siècle sensuality with the camp culture of the 1970s and today’s filter-saturated Instagram imagery. Rather than being based on real-life models, Mitsola’s figures function as meta-images hybrid constructions where art history and popular culture intersect.
In contrast to the pastoral and mythological serenity of her earlier works, this exhibition unfolds within a darker emotional register. Referencing Freud’s concepts of Eros and Thanatos, the compositions highlight the fragile boundary between desire and disappearance. In La Petite Mort (2025), the climax becomes intertwined with a metaphor of death, opening the work to psychoanalytic interpretation.
Figures appear in paired compositions reminiscent of light and shadow, or merge into one another, destabilizing fixed identities. Through this ambiguity, Mitsola reveals the vulnerability embedded in desire, selfhood, and representation.
The exhibition design enhances the theatrical dimension of the works. At its center stands a mirrored dressing table known in Austria as a “Psyche” symbolizing transformation and self-reflection. Yet the mirror reflects not the painted figures, but the viewers themselves, subtly reversing the direction of the gaze.
Mitsola also draws inspiration from cinema. The claustrophobic interiors of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and the opulent scenography of The Tales of Hoffmann resonate within the exhibition’s dramatic and emotionally charged atmosphere.
The title’s “Fae” derives from the Greek verb Φαΐω, meaning “to shine brightly,” reflecting Mitsola’s interest in etymology. “Fae O” feels both incomplete and iconic suggesting fame, fantasy, and a fleeting presence. It becomes a phonetic construction that materializes in language only to dissolve again.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1992, Mitsola lives and works in London. She completed her MFA in Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2018. Her works are held in prominent institutional and private collections across Europe, Asia, and the United States, and she has presented solo and group exhibitions in major art centers including London, Zurich, Shanghai, and Miami.
