Kallos Maria Karametou

September 10–December 11, 2022

 

Related Event

Gallery Talk with Artist Maria Karametou and Curator Nancy Sausser
Saturday, October 8, 2-3 p.m.

Maria Karametou, Emboidery III, 2022.

Maria Karametou, Embroidery III, 2022. 19,584 bobby pins, 67 x 41 in.

 

Maria Karametou, Hairloom II, 2022

Maria Karametou, Hairloom II, 2022. 158 strands of braided hair and other mixed media, 78 x 44 x 4 in.

Maria Karametou, Kosmimata, 2021 – 2022.

Maria Karametou, Kosmimata, 2021 – 2022. Bobby pins, dimensions variable.

Maria Karametou, Ode to Sierva Maria

 Maria Karametou, Ode to Sierva Maria De Todos Los Angeles (after Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love and Other Demons), 2022. Mixed media, 6 x 8 x 15 in.

Kallos, Greek for “beauty,” continues Karametou’s exploration of identity. This was first sparked by her own personal history of migration and displacement, inspiring her to create highly original pieces that also resonate on a universal level. The exhibition focuses on gender identity and the conventional social stereotypes and societal expectations, pressures, and restrictions, primarily on women, to fit into the established roles and molds that ultimately define their sense of self. By using thousands of bobby pins, stands of hair, and other mixed media, Karametou’s work speaks to the things humans have been doing since the dawn of history to adorn and beautify themselves, thereby directly connecting the act of beautification with their self-view.