Evgenia Efstathiou 

  Reminiscence explores the importance of the past in the process of coming of age by transforming the artist’s childhood memories into bright colorful scenes that provide comfort and bliss. The concept of the past takes shape through Arcadia, Efstathiou’s town of origin, but also through “Arcadia” as a literary metaphor: the idyllic form of the natural world, a pastoral utopia, and the search for something ideal. The ongoing search for the meaning of the past drives the artist to accept the strong influence of tradition on her present self: dim images from early childhood are intertwined with the collective memory of the landscape, the stories of the artist’s ancestors and the architecture of the Arcadian land. Each scene is transformed into a surreal image – a pleasant memory that provides a sense of identity that guides the artist through the journey of early adulthood.

  Reminiscence is a series of cyanotypes on colored or white paper that depict images of the Arcadian countryside without the element of realism. The representations of those memories exist in different sizes and colors, emphasizing their malleable nature. By combining the cyanotype process, a 19th century printing technique, with the use of digital negatives, the artist aims at combining the historical photographic processes with the modern technology-based photography.