My name is Ioanna Loupasaki, I’m born and raised in Athens, Greece. This project derives from a personal tragedy, a story of grief and love.
2 1/2 years ago, Angeliki, my sister, got diagnosed with a rare form of heart cancer at the age of 27 years old, which defeated her only after two months.
I lived and fought through this difficult and painful road on her side.
And yet I am still on the painful path of grief in a society that doesn’t know how to grieve that doesn’t let ways of expression or put forms on how to grieve with a kind of grief shaming.
My personal story led me to find mediums of expression through art and performance either creating personal projects or in collaboration with other artists. My approach tries to see grief expressed into life; visible, accepted in all its faces , colourful , integrated and as a part of life.
Grief is like a city. Sometimes Grey, full of cement, noisy and smoggy.
But sometimes the warmth of different people living together with their smiles, energy and sounds that create music as well as colours, let these grey walls fall.
I’ve shared my story with the LA based artist Tristan Eaton .
Tristan Eaton is a mural Artist, painter, designer and illustrator working all over the globe. His subject of art is inspired from current political and social events, environmental topics but also every day stories. Recent murals include topics about the Ukrainian war, the death shot of school kids in Texas, but also paying homage to coronavirus victims and people that fought during the pandemic, murals about Black Lives Matter as well as the climate crisis.
He has painted elaborate street art murals in many neighbourhoods across Northern America and Europe . His goal is to bring art to those who are not always fortunate enough to have access.
Here you can find his work:
https: //www.tristaneaton.com/
I shared my story with him and my thought on another approach to grieving and creating memorials.
I invited him to create a mural piece in Athens and he agreed.
In his unique way of using colours/text on mural art transforming Angelikis face and story, we would want to create a colourful memorial for the people that lost cancer battles and strong statement for their loved ones that were left behind grieving.
Because love is what we have and what is left. Grief is an ultimate form to express your love really. And it should be colourful.
The area chosen in Athens is also site-specific. The mural will stand in close proximity to the archaeological site of Kerameikos , the ancient cemetery of Athens, trying to create a connection of our ancient civilisation with modern art having grief as a point of reference .
At one of the most visited streets in Athens this mural piece stands there for the people to see a way of expressing memory and grief in a strong colourful way, maybe giving them a chance to connect with their own personal stories.
A grief that is visible and alive in between us. That we don’t walk away from but take a moment to look at and integrate.
A different kind of living memory. A different kind of grief.