CARTE
POSTALE
COE
A postcard from artist Alexandria Coe, tracing a life lived between places. In conversation with Éteanne, she reflects on her creative practice, the human form, Mediterranean life, and the quiet beauty of slowing down.
Diary
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard
Life in Greece has brought with it a different rhythm: freer, slower and a little less attached to the clock.
ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard from Alexandria Coe
[001]
You’ve spent the last few years between Greece and London. Where feels most like home these days?
A.C
I’ve spent the last few years in Greece, although I often feel half there and half in London. My heart belongs to both places, but perhaps a little more of my head is in London.
When I first moved to Greece, I think I needed to live more freely and carelessly. Now, I’m beginning to crave a little more gravitational pull back to earth, so I can imagine returning to London more permanently one day. For now, though, I enjoy being unattached to a place.
A.C
Do you think that sense of freedom carry into your creative practice as well?
I’m primarily a drawer and an occasional painter. My work is inspired by the human form and the experience of being human.
I’m particularly interested in body politics and feminist discourse. Much of my practice comes from personal experience and from an ongoing desire to grow, develop, and form a more holistic understanding of the body and identity - trying to detach the two to feel a bit more free.
Alexandria Coe is a British artist whose practice spans drawing, painting, textiles and ceramics. Centred around the human form, her work explores the body, identity and femininity through an instinctive and distinctly personal visual language.
Diary
POSTCARD FROM ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard
ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard from Alexandria Coe
[002]
Your practice moves quite freely between drawing, painting, textiles, and ceramics. Has working across different mediums always come naturally to you?
A.C
I studied textiles and later worked as an illustrator, so moving between different materials ¨ and processes has always felt quite natural and interchangeable to me.
I believe art can be anything and everything. It can make our everyday lives a little more beautiful, and if art can also exist as a household object, then why not?
Drawing seems to remain at the centre of your practice. What keeps bringing you back to the human form?
A.C
Drawing, for me, is a process of personal unravelling. When you draw, your focus becomes almost impenetrable and the mind suddenly sharpens. I feel that both the act of drawing and the subject itself can rewrite our relationship with the body.
As humans, we have developed a sense of duality between the mind and the flesh, and we are constantly driven to find meaning between the two. In drawing, I try to remove that need for meaning.
I have a theory that developing a neutral relationship with images of the body can help us detach from the unnecessary negativity we often project onto our naked form.
Drawing sits at the centre of Alexandria’s practice, with the human form remaining her most enduring subject. Her figures are often reduced to their essential lines and gestures, using simplicity and abstraction to reconsider how we see the body.
Diary
POSTCARD FROM ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard
ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard from Alexandria Coe
[003]
You’ve spent a lot of time around the Mediterranean. Has living there changed the way you look at art and beauty?
A.C
The Mediterranean is filled with layers of overlapping history and culture. Its past is incredibly rich, and its beauty is magnified by the long days and distinctive quality of light.
I love looking into the past and seeing how people thousands of years ago created art to represent their lives. That desire feels universal: to document our existence and make everyday life a little more beautiful.
With that in mind, what does slowing down look like for you?
A.C
Reminding myself that life does not actually run according to a ticking clock, and that it is never too late.
Where do you always find yourself wanting to go back to? Do you have a favourite travel destination?
A.C
Yes, but it’s a secret. When you live somewhere and witness the effects of overtourism, you become a strong believer in a little gatekeeping.
Through instinctive lines and fleeting gestures, Alexandria explores the body as a space for questions of identity, femininity and how we perceive ourselves.
Diary
POSTCARD FROM ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard
Alexandria drying after a swim, wrapped in the Anne Beach Towel in tuscan sun.
ALEXANDRIA COE
Living between Greece and elsewhere has brought the Mediterranean increasingly into Alexandria’s creative world, where its distinctive light, ancient histories and enduring visual culture continue to shape the way she sees and works.
Diary
POSTCARD FROM ALEXANDRIA COE
Postcard
Fragments from Alexandria’s summer — fleeting memories caught between sea and stone.
