Kalo Mina in October presents Stenia Paraskeva with pencil drawings from the series "In Memoriam". 

 

Influenced by Dimitris Daskalopoulos' poem "In Memoriam" Stenia Paraskeva decided to depict an individual that's dear to her, in a series of pencil portraits. Using pencils as a medium gives her the necessary stability and intricacy to create each texture and detail. The time spend for the creation of these pieces works as a homage for the depicted person or item, mirroring the time spend in the relationship with them. The person depicted is lying on the ground, surrounded by and being in touch with plants and flowers. The skull, in contrast with the blooming flowers, symbolizes mortality and narrates the circle of life. In this project, she wanted to convey the essence of the transient, the concept of death and rebirth, as well as that of memory. 

 

"In Memoriam" relates to the tradition of Memento Mori, "remember you must die", a powerful concept embedded in Stoicism, urging people to reflect on their mortality. This reflection wasn't meant to evoke fear or sadness but to inspire individuals to live more fully, authentically, and mindfully, considering that life is finite. Closely related to Memento Mori are vanitas, images or sculptures which were full of symbolic objects, such as flowers, sculls and fruits that intended to emphasize the transience of life, the futility of earthly pleasures and the senseless pursuit of power and glory.

 

Stenia Paraskeva lives and works in Athens and graduated 2023 from the ASFA, Athens School of Fine Arts. Her works have been shown in various exhibitions among others at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation.