Melina Koan

(based on a favorite verse from Kiki Dimoula:

I have a bunch of repressed skies too, but I don't kill stars.)

Marco Polo Building, University of Sapientza, Rome.

Laboratorio Studi Neogreci, “Myrsini Zorba” (November 2024).

On a grayish wall, where hundreds of students spread out their carefree pastime on a daily basis, the new presence is Kiki Dimoula.

Thoughtful, profound, and now an astral body herself, she gazes at a source of light, as the bodies of men and women (in equal numbers) fall, in fiery orbits, all the while a little girl, in a double pose of supplication and collection, waits to gather the falling people.

• The little girl thinks, the poet's verse: I too have a bunch of repressed skies, but I don't kill stars.

However, a slender female figure is held by a rope suspended in the universe, reminiscent of Miltos Sachtouris' The Controller (Ελεγκτής).

• Do you identify yourself in this woman, Melina?

I believe we all have gone through our good times and our bad times. And all of us, when we go through our bad times, look for something to hold on to, so that we can endure and be able to continue. So, yes, I often see myself in this woman and I try to hold on to something, so that I can cope and continue, waiting for the good times, when I can recharge my batteries.

• What is "killing" people, men and women, today and what can elevate them to stardom?

I don't know if I see it that way because I live in the present and not in another era, but I believe that this is how the world has evolved, in a not-so-pretty way. Therefore, in my opinion, what is "killing" men and women today is the lack of emotion and the lack of respect and understanding.

Most of us shut ourselves out from others and do not think that our neighbor has the same problems and the same feelings. On the contrary, a person can shine and become a "star", with the power of love and understanding.

• Tell us about the concept of the work.

When I was commissioned to design a mural, based on a poem by Kiki Dimoula, this phrase immediately became an image for me: "I too have a bunch of repressed skies, but I don't kill stars." This phrase can be translated in several ways.

My interpretation is that we don't need to vent our own repressed feelings and fears on others. Especially to people who care about us and love us, we don't need to be indifferent and hostile. Because this hurts and destroys the beautiful feelings we have inside us. Therefore, in the image I created, I have a little girl, who for me is our soul, who always thinks like a little child and needs love, trying to save anyone who is about to "fall".

• How did you gain this international experience?

Όλη η εμπειρία ήταν ξεχωριστή, υπέροχη. Ανυπομονούσα να ξεκινήσει το ταξίδι. Δε θα πω ότι ήταν εύκολο αλλά ήταν όμορφο. Οι άνθρωποι που συνεργάστηκα ήταν παρά πολύ εξυπηρετικοί και ευχάριστοι, κάτι που βοήθησε ιδιαίτερα στη πορεία του έργου. Φυσικά, η Ρώμη είναι μια ιδιαίτερη πόλη που μόνο έμπνευση μπορεί να σου προσφέρει. Σίγουρα θα ήθελα κ άλλες τέτοιες συνεργασίες.

• Greek Women Artists (graffiti, street art, design and beyond): what is their place in the Greek and international scene?

I will say it is difficult, but, during the last years, more and more women are appearing and give give very meaningful and beautiful things to this world. I live in Greece, so I can speak about the conditions here in Greece, which I know are not ideal, but I am happy when I see women not shying away and not waiting for ideal conditions, but trying to create them for themselves and, most likely, help those who come later.

• How do you envison your artistic future and with which verse by Kiki Dimoula would you most closely associate with during this time?

I certainly aim for more collaborations outside of Greece and I believe that, during this period, I could not identify more with the verse that I already included in the work: "I too have a bunch of repressed skies, but I don't kill stars."

 More about Melina Koan: https://www.instagram.com/m.koan/?hl=el

 For more information regarding the action and the subsequent lectures, see our related article.