Andrea Tyrimos

Andrea Tyrimos is a multidisciplinary artist based in London and represented by MTArt Agency. She creates paintings, installations and public art. Her Bipolar Picasso project is a series of immersive art installations, featuring intimate paintings and audio recordings of people who have experience with mental health issues. This body of work is fuelled by personal experience; in addition to working with adults in crisis, the artist has several people close to her with mental health issues, who feel they are unable to be open for fear of being judged by society.

Andrea pushes the boundaries of portraiture, uniquely combining both visual and audio elements, in an attempt to give this invisible illness not only visibility but also presence. The visitor is confronted with intimate, illuminated oil paintings of both celebrities and members of the public. Alongside each portrait sits an accompanying audio piece, revealing the spoken words and innermost thoughts of the sitter. The visitor becomes fully immersed in a sensory exploration of the mind. 

During the 2021 Covid-19 lockdown, Tyrimos joined the #LightItBlue project, an initiative part of the wider #MakeItBlue campaign in the UK, to encourage people to share their own messages of gratitude and solidarity to the NHS. Created during London's first lockdown in 2020, Andrea Tyrimos's painting 'Sophie', wanted to elevate key workers to the status they deserve by shining a light on the crucial work they do.

Her work has received critical acclaim, including the 1st Prize in the ING Discerning Eye 2020 exhibition, and several features in publications such as The Guardian, Madame Figaro, Evening Standard and Ability Magazine. Andrea has also been interviewed live on BBC World News, alongside her installations, and was featured on Channel 4 documentary 'Flawless'.

'Rendered in washed out colours, minimalist detail to hair and clothing bringing out their vulnerability through their eyes. I've always felt that mental illness is something you wear on your face. Tyrimos has captured that'. – The Guardian