A. corporale

devoré on silk and viscose velvet, naturally dyed, 129 x 204 cm, metal base 200 x 204 x 45cm, 2018/2025

Following artistic practices such as dévorage on velvet fabric or handmade embroidery through which a polymorphic surface of various colours is created, Elena Adamou discovers through an experiential process the fragility in relation to the flow of time, as well as the need for connections and dialogue in order to create coherent, safe and protected spaces. With her craft manipulations she ‘shapes’ images of pulsating fields, where wear, corrosion and coherence resistance create densities similar to amoeboid protozoa. These ‘skin’ landscapes, with their almost transparent patterns, seem to describe cartographies of psychic order. 

Her visual narratives on a flat surface offer expanded readings, open to allusive interpretations of age wear and tear, while also exuding an indefinable tenderness. Moreover, with her embroidered ‘rhapsodies’, Adamou makes her ritualistic aim evident, also stating a reflection on the diachronic resilience of human effort.

Thalea Stephanidou

Art Historian and Curator

ph. Nicos Louca