Seen / Unseen
Aphrodite / Sacred and Profound Purifications
Seen/Unseen is a site-specific paper installation created for the historic Bath House of the Winds in Athens. A life-sized sculptural figure of Aphrodite was constructed from a single continuous sheet of paper, forming a fragile skin-like surface that unfolded into a mirrored counterform. Installed within the architecture of a former Ottoman bath, the work activates the dualities embedded in Aphrodite’s myth—seen/unseen, celestial/earthly, material/immaterial—inviting an intimate encounter with the sculptural body.
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The installation consists of a sculptural figure produced from a single sheet of paper that wraps, folds and molds to the body, generating a thin, skin-like surface. Beyond the figure, the paper extends into a large counterform, creating a double presence: a visible body and its reverse imprint.
Situated within a bathing architecture historically associated with cleansing, ritual care and intimacy, the work negotiates dualities central to Aphrodite’s myth: seen/unseen, celestial/earthly, material/immaterial. The slight inward lean of the figure invites viewers into the space, establishing an encounter that balances sacredness and vulnerability.
By using paper as both surface and boundary, Seen/Unseen positions the sculptural body between object and shell, presence and trace, reflecting on how bodies are revealed, concealed and transformed within spatial and cultural contexts.
Situated within a bathing architecture historically associated with cleansing, ritual care and intimacy, the work negotiates dualities central to Aphrodite’s myth: seen/unseen, celestial/earthly, material/immaterial. The slight inward lean of the figure invites viewers into the space, establishing an encounter that balances sacredness and vulnerability.
By using paper as both surface and boundary, Seen/Unseen positions the sculptural body between object and shell, presence and trace, reflecting on how bodies are revealed, concealed and transformed within spatial and cultural contexts.
The installation was presented as part of the exhibition “Aphrodite: Sacred and Profane Purifications” at the Bath House of the Winds in Athens. Organized under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Religion, Culture and Sports, the exhibition explored contemporary artistic interpretations of Aphrodite, intersecting themes of ritual cleansing, bodily care and the symbolic roles of the goddess. The Bath House of the Winds, a former Ottoman hammam now operated by the Museum of Modern Greek Culture, provided an architecturally and historically charged setting that linked the work to material practices of purification, intimacy and the sacred. The exhibition ran from December 12, 2012 to April 30, 2013.
Materials: paper, gypsum, metal armature, light
Dimensions: variable
Year: 2012–2013
Location: Bath House of the Winds, Athens
Exhibition: Aphrodite: Sacred and Profane Purifications
Institution: Museum of Modern Greek Culture
Materials: paper, gypsum, metal armature, light
Dimensions: variable
Year: 2012–2013
Location: Bath House of the Winds, Athens
Exhibition: Aphrodite: Sacred and Profane Purifications
Institution: Museum of Modern Greek Culture