CM: Mary Christea's Across comes from the namesake series, on the theme of human existence in a timeless place. In this work the artist introduced her self-portrait in four successive moments in time - first in pure innocence, then in erotic adulthood, after that in ecstatic fertility, and finally in restored innocence. For the production of these self-portraits Christea used plastic aging techniques and hi-tech equipment. Apart from the composition of images, Christea used the light like Rembrandt - from below for the teenager, further up for adult, face front for the woman breastfeeding, and finally from above for the old lady. Across reveals the fact that the wear from aging is as true as it is symbolic. In a place without time there is a wholeness of man in all his ages. Thus in the coexistence of different selves, Christea acknowledges that in the passage of time her self is 'one' and that what she feels for herself is unchangeable. Across demonstrates that the desired coexistence of contradictions requires reconciliation with all the moments and elements of us. This finding is the result of the profound need for man's self-determination - to enter other situations in order to understand the mutual dimension of reality in the passage of time. Thus man will see that life is a uniform time-space continuum.
Across was presented at a visual action entitled Indoors, held in 2008 at an alternative art space, 34 Karneadou Street, Athens.
[Megakles Rogakos 03/2008]
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ROGAKOS, MEGAKLES Silent Dialogues: Multimedia Portraits Throughout Time 2008 The American College of Greece, Athens
