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Charms - Talismans The enchantment of opportunity. We hasten to grasp the opportunity to acquire superfluous goods. Call now… The first five callers win... Only for today…
Illuminated images set into polyester will be placed into the earth on five spots around the Pavlidis estate. Each image comprises four panels of polyester, and the subject is plant roots. The digitally processed roots are in night blue, a colour of mystery. The polyester panels, something like tablets of revelation, present some profound truths!!!
The connecting element of all images is ouroboros, the self-devouring snake, symbol of death and rebirth which devours itself and is renewed. It is creation and destruction in an endless cycle. In the image I use, the snake encircles the Greek phrase hen to pan: one in all, or all in one. This phrase became an oft-repeated alchemistic saying. (Christians equated the devil with the snake).
Each image carries two (not easily legible) phrases. One phrase comes from the texts of Chinese alchemists (e.g. 5 x 9 = 45. Five governs musical notes. Notes dominate the mind) and reveals their arithmosophic mysticism.
The word ‘dominates’ in these texts stimulated my own thoughts. Thus the second phrase in the image is mine and articulates some commonplace truth using the word ‘dominates’ (e.g. Opportunity dominates the mind.) And there is always the ouroboros with the phrase hen to pan.
Upon entering, visitors are handed a flyer presented like an advert: Great Opportunity! The first one to find something will win a gift of great value… Follow the traces of ouroboros… find the hidden texts and win… During the night I shall distribute five gifts: five small multiple works with the image of ouroboros.
Popi Krouska
April 2001 |
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The show took place on Wednesday, July 4 2001, the eve of the full moon. It only lasted for one night, and because of this and the difficult access to the estate it was necessarily addressed to a limited number of viewers.
Specially created for this exhibition, the works/charms were spread throughout the estate and hung on branches or hidden among the bushes. They were made for those patient enough to discover them. The condition was that the work could have the energy and the viewer would be the recipient.
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