Soula Mantalvanos

Born 1969, Williamstown, Victoria.

Soula Mantalvanos blends design and art with her Byzantine heritage, using paintings and etchings to tell personal stories.

Beginning her professional career as creative director of her design company, ooi.com.au, Soula has also exhibited paintings and prints at various Melbourne galleries.

For Soula, artistic practice serves as a means of self-expression, while design offers a disciplined avenue for creative exploration. Drawing on both disciplines and keen observation, Soula explores a topic that has always fascinated her: identity—whether it appears in architecture, human subjects, or objects.

“I believe that individuals embody their brand, and regulating our ego is one of life’s greatest challenges.”

Soula consistently engages with identity, with her figures characterised by empathy rather than egocentrism, striking a balance between sincerity and confidence.

In her work, a seated model or marionette often sets Soula around historical architecture and significant objects from her life, such as olive leaves, suitcases, and her patron saint, St. George. She also incorporates foliage and keys as a tribute to Fornasetti.

In 2015, a sea change from Melbourne led Soula and her husband, Theo, to Co-Direct Queenscliff Gallery (QG) on the Bellarine Peninsula, where she applied her fine art and design experience to curate exhibitions with represented artists and manage QG’s brand and media.