Meet Fei Alexeli

For our latest artist interview, we’re thrilled to have chatted with digital collage artist Fei Alexeli.

Working from her coastal studio in Thessaloniki, Greece, Fei creates fantastical photo-montages steeped in influence from Americana to outer space. Interested ‘in things that overlap‘, Alexeli’s works conjure a sense of poignant nostalgia whilst remaining distinctly fresh and contemporary. Colours, imagery and her own illustrations juxtapose to create a vivid, contemporary effect. We are big, big fans!

Introducing, Fei Alexeli…

So to start off – your digital collage works create beautiful, surreal landscapes. There is so much imagination in them! Can you describe your process of developing these compelling worlds?

Thank you very much for your kind words. I start with an idea. Sometimes this is abstract, like a colour palette, or a feeling that I want to articulate. Sometimes it’s more solid, like I have a quote from a song, or something I’ve read. Or, I might have a full image of what I want to make constructed in my head. The end result is completely different, so I can say it starts from a conscious place and at the process I let go of this idea in my head, and just go with more visceral feelings.

There’s a lot of variety in the subject and style of your work. When it comes to your process as an artist, do you have any rituals or routines you follow to get your inspiration going?

I have a very chaotic mind, maybe that’s where the variety comes from. All the different ideas need to become tangible. So the rituals exist, not for seeking inspiration but more to clear my head. I go to my studio everyday. It is a ritual. I spend many hours alone. I work, I eat, I get bored, I read, I reflect, sometimes I sleep there too. It’s a safe space and a sacred space. It’s where everything happens. 

Your work features a beautiful combination of photography and digital collage. Can you describe your approach to moving across these different mediums?

When I’m photographing, I’m seeking, I’m out there looking for a perfect photo, looking for a sentiment that I can take from a still image, trying to get satisfaction. And it’s there. It exists, I just have to find it. When I collage, I create, I make my own rules, I find my own fulfilment. So I think the collage becomes an extension of photography. The perfect photo in my head that I couldn’t find. And then of course, it grants me access to all the endless possibilities of composition. 

It’s funny because once I open a photo digitally and start the post production there’s a fine line when the photo is still a photo and when it becomes a collage. And I find very interesting this space, where I still don’t know the use of the image.

You use an array of different imagery in your work – lots of outer space scenes and nods to Americana! – so we wonder if there are there any particular landscapes or influences that inspire these visuals? We know you live and work on the coast, is there a relationship here with the content of your work?

I’m definitely inspired by American landscape, the desert and the universe. There’s something about the latter ones, that I find comfort in. I live in the coast yes, in Thessaloniki, Greece. I have a beautiful studio that overlooks the sea and I get to see the most beautiful sunsets. It’s a great inspiration, to live life by the sea. 

We heard that your background is in architecture, do you feel like this experience informs your creative practice?

Definitely. I think in a way, I haven’t stopped thinking like an architect. In my work, there’s spatial awareness of how everything comes together in context, having perspectives and balance in mind. And there’s always a sense of place or misplace.

And finally, it’s always so interesting to hear about what art artists enjoy and collect. Have there been any particular artists you’ve been loving recently?

I just purchased a Robert Montgomery print that I had my eye on for quite a while and I really love! I find the use of words, let alone poems, in artworks very compelling. And I just love going to art fairs and discovering new artists. Of course, I always enjoy Patsy’s stand from Liberty Gallery at an Affordable Art Fair – they have an amazing combination of artists and different mediums.

Thank you to Fei for introducing us to your dreamlike worlds. It’s great to get an insight into the working lives of our Affordable Art Fair artists. Stay up to date with Fei’s work and practice by giving her a follow at @feialexeli on IG.

Main image: Fei Alexeli, ‘Dream Palace’, digital collage, 70 x 70cm, Liberty Gallery