Cactus Gallery LA
Mnemosyne - MNHMH Reclaimed by artist Ioanna Tsouka of Anima ex Manus Art Dolls
$ 500.00
Mixed media: paperclay, polymer clay, wire, vintage textile and lace trims, composition gold leaf, organza, silk, assortment of tiny treasures (beads, chain, shells, sea glass, buttons, beach stones, tiny bells, etc.). Her arms and legs are lightly poseable/ bendable. She is hand-painted with soft pastels, acrylics and colored pencils, and sealed with matte and gloss varnish. She is displayed standing on the included doll base. Her costume is not removable.
Approx. 18.5’’ tall (incl. doll base)/47 cm
This piece is centered around the concept of the enduring spirit of the ‘discarded’. “Mnemosyne - MNHMH Reclaimed” is a manifestation of new life crafted from the remnants of relics and forgotten tales.
Her name, Mnemosyne, comes from the ancient Greek goddess of memory, the mother of the nine muses. Also, MNHMH comes from the Greek word “μνήμη” (pronounced “mními”, i.e. m-nee-m-ee), that means memory.
She is inspired by the folk art form of ‘memory jugs’. This general term describes a vessel with an assortment of glass shards, beads, toys, broken china, buttons and small objects adorning its surface, sometimes associated with a deceased person (that’s why they’re also called ‘forget-me-not jugs’,’ spirit jars’, ‘memory vessels’ or ‘mourning jugs’).
The top of her costume, embellished with repurposed, salvaged little treasures, is a mosaic of different elements and textures. Mnemosyne has already lived multiple lives through each tiny piece whispering a fragment of its own former life. She is a reminder of the infinite possibilities that lie within the realm of the discarded; every ending is but a prelude to a new beginning.
She has a small hole on her bottom, that helps display her standing on the included doll base. The top stick of the base needs to be inserted in the doll’s body up to the point where the gold leaf part starts.
