Obolos
This wall-mounted diptych narrates the history of Serifos through its rocks, its geological
heritage, and its labor memory. On the narrow stainless steel sheet (17 x 125 cm), four engraved human figures are frozen in a moment of struggle. The surface is textured with sand from Avessalos beach, while the ink filling the engravings contains powdered minerals from Mega Livadi-Strofi (red hue)
and Evangelistria (grey hue). Atop their heads, aluminum coins engraved with a frog reference the island’s ancient currency and its mythological “silent” frogs, while also serving as an “obolos” for the journey to Hades, honoring the four miners who lost their lives during the 1916 strike.
The bloody miners’ uprising, demanding an eight-hour workday and humane labor conditions, stood as a milestone for the Greek labor movement. Today, as contemporary flexible labor practices practically undermine this hard-won right, their struggle—and the artwork itself—bridges the past with the present, remaining profoundly relevant.
On the adjacent sheet iron (70 x 125 cm), three ceramic snakes sculpted from diverse stoneware clays—infused with powdered minerals and raw, embossed rock fragments from all sites (Mega Livadi-Vagonia, Mega Livadi-Strofi, Evangelistria, Avessalos-Strofi)—symbolize the three gendarmerie officers who perished in the clashes. Their form references the head of Medusa that once adorned the ancient coins of Serifos. The natural landscape, painted with powdered rocks, ink, and linseed oil from all these locations,
reconstructs the visual essence and the atmosphere of the mines.
- Metal engraving
- Embossed engraving on aluminum
- Ceramic clay sculpting
- Painting with natural pigments derived from powdered Serifian rocks
- Ink and linseed oil
Katerina Michalarou
Katerina Michalarou
Katerina Michalarou (b. 1994, Athens) is a graduate of the Department of Visual and
Applied Arts at the University of Western Macedonia, where she specialized in painting
alongside a secondary direction in video art. Her immersive encounter with the natural
landscape profoundly influenced both her creative practice and her selection of raw materials. Additionally, she has studied ceramics at the “Iridanos” school. Her artistic practice
operates at the intersection of monotype, mixed media, installation, and ceramic sculpture,
with a distinct emphasis on the relationship between matter and memory. Rejecting linear
narratives, her work attempts to capture an interior world born from the synthesis of the
imaginary and the real, the subconscious and the dream, raising questions about memory,
loss, and how materials carry histories. Through masks and ritualistic forms, she recalls
the archetypal dimensions of faith and sacrifice. In her recent work, she explores ceramic
“skins” and the ways in which the soul’s envelope transforms through the journey of life.
Lately, she is particularly interested in combining ceramics with painting within the context
of site-specific installations. She has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions both
in Greece and abroad. Her participation in the group exhibition “GAIOCHROMIA” on Serifos aligns with her broader research interest in connecting material culture, history, and
contemporary sculptural expression.
E-mail: catherine.michalarou@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katerina_michalarou/
