Koula Pratsis
The Still of the Night
Edition 1/3
16 x 20 inch
Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art
$145 AUD
Includes GST & postage within Australia
Bio
Koula Pratsis is an emerging artist based in Perth, Western Australia, whose work spans abstract painting, mixed media art, and photography. Originally from Cyprus, Koula became a war refugee in 1974 and migrated to Australia.
Despite facing language barriers and discrimination, she achieved a remarkable milestone in 1995 by becoming the first female orthopaedic surgeon in Western Australia. Koula’s artistic journey began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic while providing locum orthopaedic services to Kalgoorlie Hospital, WA. The isolation allowed her time for introspection and sparked her love for artistic expression.
Koula’s art is deeply informed by her diverse life and professional experiences. Her background in fine furniture design and construction, marked by a Certificate IV from TAFE, brings a unique perspective to her art. She blends structured design principles with spontaneous creativity, resulting in pieces that are both visually striking and thought-provoking.
Using bright, bold colours, Koula explores themes of struggle, resilience, identity, and transformation, aiming to evoke deep emotion and contemplation in viewers. Her macrophotographs seek to explore and document nature's hidden beauty.
After 30 years as an orthopaedic surgeon, Koula now fully dedicates herself to art, continuously pushing the boundaries of her creativity.
Statement
‘The Still of the Night’ has been created using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) techniques. ICM transcends the conventional boundaries of photography, transforming the camera into an artist’s brush. It is a dance between control and surrender, where the camera’s motion during exposure creates a fusion of reality and abstraction.
In my ICM work, I embrace the unpredictability and fluidity of this technique. Each photograph is a unique exploration of colour, light, and movement, capturing a fleeting moment of harmony between the photographer and the world. The resulting images are not mere representations of a scene, but rather, they are impressions, emotions, and experiences translated into visual form.
ICM reminds us that beauty can be found in the blur and the blend and in the interplay of focus and distortion. It challenges our sense of reality and invites us to see the world through a different lens. This photo celebrates the unexpected, the transient, and the beautifully imperfect aspects of life.
