New Work
2019-2022
New Work
“Deeply rooted in the material processes of clay, my new hand built sculptures reference Greek mythology in allegories of female agency and protection. Invisibility Cloaks (2018) evoke the female body wrapped in a protective cloak of trees and refer to the Greek myth of Daphne, the water nymph (naiad) transformed into a tree by the goddess Gaia as she witnesses Apollo violently pursuing her. Recalling the classical Greek goddess Nike and water creatures with scale-like skin, my white porcelaineous sculptures reinterpret the vessel form in relation to the long history of clay vessels that reference the female body. Drawing on personal and communal narratives, I am a Tree (Daphne) (2020) speaks to my Greek heritage and identity as a source of strength and resilience: my family name Kranias is a strong tree that grows high in the mountains of Thessaly in mainland Greece, the home of my paternal grandparents. In our time of pandemic, I imagine myself as the tree growing roots, a deep network of strength that holds me to the earth. My branches move and dance in the wind, shaping me anew.”