In the project Family Tales, the artist delves into a collection of fairy tale books housed in his family’s library.
While exploring the shelves at his mother’s home, he rediscovered books purchased by his great-grandmother over sixty years ago. These books, passed down through generations, include Greek editions of predominantly European fairy tales, such as The Fox’s Party, Little Red RidingHood, Cinderella, and Snow White.
He doesn’t recall hiis grandmother telling him fairytales by heart, nor does his mother remember her own grandmother narratingstories. However, his mother vividly remembers her grandmother buying andgifting her children’s books. The artrist believes that hecarries the memory of his grandmother narrating stories by reading from these books. He reminisces about the feeling—imagined or real—that her voice evoked during these readings. What he remembers most is her figure, likely because he often revisit his family archive of black-and-white photographs depicting three generations of women—the great-grandmother, the grandmother, and the mother—at different stages of their lives.
Family Tales weaves a narrative around the “lifeline” of these books and thefemale family circle, highlighting the dynamic role of women in the family. Itintertwines historical reality, analytical thought, and fiction, reflecting the artistic practice’s focus on excavating the complexities of family life.
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