Persefόneia brings together my love for book design, typography, analog photography, platinum printing on delicate Japanese handmade papers, and writing (essays and poems). It is the first of seven limited edition artist books (2013–2024), following earlier installations of platinotypes.
My artist books reflect a desire to honor my Hellenic roots and a lineage of known and forgotten women. Choice of materials, typography, or printing methods are always driven and in support of the fundamental concept of a book. Paper has a predominant role for the aesthetic and emotional interpretation of content. In Persefόneia, platinum prints on tissue-thin Gampi reflect fragility and vulnerability. The heavier folios use an irreplaceable, now-extinct Gampi paper—of which I was fortunate to secure the final hundred sheets.
Persefόneia conceptually explores transformation through Persephone's shifting archetypes: maiden-wife, queen of the underworld, daughter, and co-initiator of the Eleusinian mysteries. Following Vertical Time, my installation of platinum prints and a film of images and echoes, Persefόneia deepens and completes the study and visual exploration of transformation.
Produced in an edition of nine copies plus two artist proofs, Persefόneia contains six platinum prints and original poems printed letterpress on Gampi paper. Each copy is bound in grey silk, bearing a paper label with the calligraphic title and monogram.
Maro Vandorou Per•sef•ό•nei•a Limited-edition artist book. California: Atelier Vandorou, 2013.
Persefόneia weaves together my love for book design, typography, analog photography, platinum printing on delicate Gampi paper and writing (essays and poems). The conceptual focus is on transformation and the intriguing shift of roles held in balance by Persephone´s archetypes: maiden-wife, queen of the underworld, daughter, and co-initiator of Eleusinian mysteries. Following Vertical Time, an installation of platinum prints paired with filmed images and echoes, Persefόneia deepens and completes the visual and thematic inquiry into transformation.
Odysseas Elytis
The Monogram
Athens: Ikaros Publications, 1972
I love poetry, and early on I started collecting beloved Greek poets: George Seferis, Odysseas Elytis, C.P. Cavafy. I encountered Elytis at a pivotal moment in my life; his book, “The Monogram” bearing a beautiful personal dedication, remains one of my most treasured possessions.
