Existing comment:
Introduction
Kallos, Greek for "beauty," reflects Maria Karametou's ongoing exploration into identity, an interest initially sparked from the contrast between her own family history and earlier life in Greece, and her immigration to the United States. With this body of work, Karametou now focuses on gender identity and the things people, especially women, have done throughout history to conform to societal pressures, expectations, and conventional standards of physical beauty that ultimately define their sense of self. Hers is a journey involving identity formation, memory, time, and her lifelong endeavor to create work that speaks to these experiences. A mixed media artist from the very beginning, Karametou works both abstractly and figuratively, in two and three dimensions, using whatever materials best work, including bobby pins, hair, wax, paint, digital images, photographs, and found objects. Kallos offers glimpses of Karametou's keen observations and encounters, formed into unique objects and images of thoughtful reflection. |