Exploring a 15th-Century Monster Park and Balthus’s Studio with Painter Ariana Papademetropoulos

In her luscious paintings, Ariana Papademetropoulos creates a world that is in a tantalizing balance between fantasy and reality. Her works capture the sublime wonder of the natural world, and the creative potential of the human mind. They feature mythical beasts, such as unicorns, but also items from everyday life that contain an otherworldly beauty, such as seashells, bubbles, and roses. Based in Rome, Los Angeles, and Greece, the painter often blurs indoor and outdoor scenes, with beds floating in vast seas or flowerbeds in place of carpets.