Author: Angela Zafiris

Hello! I'm a Artist/Writer/Photographer who lives in Athens, Greece. I have many creative ways from writing, photography, collage art, mixed-media art and poetry. I love sharing my work with people from all over the world through my blog.

Take The Leap/Tο Aλμα

bwcatstext1

‘The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong. but we take leap after leap in the dark.’ -Agnes de mille (American Dancer)

«Ο καλλιτέχνης δεν ξέρει ποτέ εντελώς. Υποθέτουμε. Μπορεί να είναι λάθος. αλλά παίρνουμε άλμα μετά από άλμα στο σκοτάδι. “-Agnes de mille (Αμερικανός Xορευτής)

A Dogs’ Life/Η ζωή ενός σκύλου

2dogstext1

dogtext2Unfortunately, stray cats and dogs are common sight all over Greece. These photographs were taken on a mountain just west of Athens. During the drive through the mountain I noticed many dogs, some like the ones pictured above, that didn’t look like they really belonged there; they were most likely abandoned by their owners.  These strays seemed so foreign to this environment in comparison to the other dogs there that were a lot more wild than these friendlier ones. On the positive side, there have been some changes made in the past few years by Greeks. The mentality is a lot different, as people have become more sensitive towards animals and there are more cat and dog owners than ever. However, the financial crisis has been a major set back for those who want to help the animals and the government isn’t doing enough as other issues take precedent over the stray animal population.

Click here to see the people who are taking action and you can adopt a pet if you want 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/Greek-strays-up-for-adoption-217166981719549/timeline/

Turtle Power!/Η Δύναμη της Χελώνας

turtlepower

turtletext1

turtletext2‘Slow but steady wins the race.’ A quote from my favourite childhood fable ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ by ancient Greek storyteller Aesop. In the fable, the humble slow-moving tortoise wins the race when the arrogant fast-moving hare seemed like he was sure to win. This is a great moral lesson in humility, something that is missing in our modern times.

Woman On Top!/Η Γυναικα Στην Κορυφη!

'Woman On Top' collage on canvas by Angela Zafiris

‘Woman On Top’ collage on canvas by Angela Zafiris

This is my humorous feminist collage that I know men (and some non-feminist women) will love so much 😉

Feminism is a subject that has been discussed a lot recently and it has unfortunately become controversial and even taboo for some people. I have heard so many varying definitions of feminism by feminists and anti-feminists and the majority of the definitions are really off and I find that they are made by very ignorant people like celebrities. My definition of feminism is that women shouldn’t be mistreated and discriminated against due to their gender. Throughout human history women have been treated appallingly, they were raped, tortured and suffered verbal and physical abuse at home.  Women had no choice for their future, and no voice. This is why very few women made their mark in history. Today women are still suffering all over the world. It seems that only a little progress has been made.

Yesterday, I was looking at my bookshelf and I noticed that I had a book called, ‘Feminism For Beginners’ from my University years. I decided to read it again with different, older and wiser eyes. The definition of feminism (according to the authors of the book), for anyone who is confused about what it means is: “Women demanding their full rights as human beings.” Also, ‘feminism is about challenging the division of labour in the world that puts men in charge of the public sphere-work, sports, wars, government-while women slave away unpaid in the home, carrying the whole burden of family life”.

I believe that everyone should want equality of the genders, and I would hope that one day people will finally love and respect each and that feminism will not be controversial as it is today.

*If my collage was a little too ‘white’ for some people that is because I only have European magazines to work with.

Above Attiki/Πανω απο την Αττικη

atikkitext1

atikkitext2

landscapetext3

A view of the Atikki landscape from the west of Athens. The first major storms have arrived, so this isn’t the view today. Maybε tomorrow the sun will make a comeback.

Η θέα της Αθήνας από τα δυτικά της . Οι πρώτες μεγάλες καταιγίδες έχουν φτάσει, οπότε αυτη δεν είναι σημερινή  θέα. Ίσως αύριο ο ήλιος θα κάνει μια επιστροφή.

Ancient Healing

The site of Aesculapius at Epidaurus in Peloponnese was the most important healing center in the ancient Greek and Roman world. The site’s beautiful nature and the therapeutic springs attracted many people from afar and were thought be helpful in healing the patients of their ailments.  There were many temples that were considered  masterpieces and where medicine was practiced. One of the temples was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and another was dedicated to Aesclipius, the Greek god of medicine. The temples since that time have been devastated by many earthquakes and invaders so like Ancient Olympia there are only a few columns still standing. However, the ancient Epidaurus theatre just a few feet away and is in great condition, so it is still a great place to visit.  I would have love to have seen how it was originally it must have been an incredible place to visit.

The Magic of Epidaurus/Η Μαγεια της Επιδαυρου

It was my first time at Epidaurus theatre, and I was awe-struck by this massive theatre that seats up to 13,000 people. It was built in 350 B.C by Polykleitos and it was dedicated to Asclepius the god of healing and t is the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece. It’s in an isolated region of the country side of Argolid for good reason. This place was a sanctuary for the sick from all over who arrived here to get closer to nature and to be healed by the natural surroundings. They stayed at the nearby temples just few metres from the theatre where they could exercise, relax and consult the priests. The reason for the theatre being here was because it was thought that the sick people would be healed by watching the tragedies as it would be a very cathartic and therapeutic experience for them. Also, the theatre is famous for its great acoustics and many tourists like to stand in the middle of the stage and clap or talk loud. The noise can be heard all the up to the last row of seats.  Ancient theatre is still performed here and many famous actors and actresses have performed at this sacred spot.