Imagined Landscapes and Inner Worlds: Sophie Esslinger’s “Atlas” in Syros

Some landscapes exist only in memory. Others seem familiar despite never having been visited. In Atlas, her new solo exhibition at Jenny up the Hill in Syros, Sophie Esslinger explores this uncertain territory where imagination and lived experience intersect.

Esslinger’s paintings resist straightforward interpretation. Stones, trees, moons and fragments of landscapes appear throughout her compositions, yet they remain in constant transformation. A stone becomes an eye, the night resembles day, organic forms dissolve into geometric shapes. Rather than depicting recognizable places, the artist constructs fluid environments where nature, the body and abstraction coexist.

Working intuitively, Esslinger approaches painting as a process of discovery. A work may begin with a sentence from a book or an image evoked by literature before gradually developing into something unexpected. Memory, dreams, emotions and physical experience become intertwined, forming visual maps that feel both intimate and unfamiliar.

The exhibition’s title, Atlas, reflects this accumulation of imagined territories. Together, the paintings create a personal cartography of places, sensations and shifting perspectives, inviting viewers to navigate landscapes that are simultaneously psychological and physical.

Born in 1996, Sophie Esslinger studied comparative literature and art in Vienna before completing her master’s degree under Thomas Scheibitz in Düsseldorf. Her recent exhibitions include presentations in Berlin, Vienna and Düsseldorf.

Hosted by Jenny up the Hill, the independent exhibition space in Ermoupoli dedicated to contemporary painting, Atlas continues the gallery’s international programme, bringing together emerging and established artists from across Europe. The exhibition runs from 11 July to 22 August 2026, with the opening taking place on 10 July at 8:00 pm.