Karolina Krasouli

Untitled (metal in water), 2022
Oil on canvas, 20 x 31 cm

Untitled (glass of water), 2022
Oil on canvas, 20 x 31 cm

Untitled (pocket), 2022
Oil on canvas, 20 x 31 cm

Birthday, 2022
Gesso, oil, thread and graphite on canvas, 2,28 x 2,18 cm

For Phenomenon 4, Karolina Krasouli presented a set of paintings specifically conceived around Anafi’s folklore. The stories that inspired the making of Untitled (metal in water) and of Untitled (glass of water) were found in the Academy of Athens’ book about Anafi, based on research on the island by the folklorist Stefanos Imellos in the summer of 1965, following his research on Santorini. For Untitled (metal in water), the artist was inspired by a local tale narrating that in the past during the first days of August -called drimes- people neither showered nor washed their clothes. If they did, their hair would fall while their clothes would get destroyed. But if they needed to wash or shower, they would put iron in the water. Similarly, for Untitled (glass of water), the artist was inspired by a local tale narrating that vine sticks were used for children up to seven years old who fell sick. The locals would set fire to three sticks, they would then strike the air three times and say: “As the branch gets burnt, let the vine burn, burn the sticks and the child will get well.” Afterwards, they would put out the fire by placing the vine sticks inside a glass of water and then they would use this water to make a cross on the child’s face. For the work Untitled (pocket), the artist was told about a specific custom in a mail conversation with anthropologist Margaret Kenna: “Another custom that I was told about and witnessed was when a woman was waiting for the dough to rise so that she could bake and another woman said “go and ask so-and-so for her husband’s coat – they say that the coat of an angry man put over the skafi will help the dough to rise””. The final painting presented, Birthday, was inspired by Margaret Kenna’s photograph of the last curtain bed on Anafi. The works were installed at the Corner House. Karolina Krasouli also held a painting workshop for the children of Anafi.