Description: Invited by curator Elena Ioannidou to 'reclaim' myths and narratives of violence and harassment embedded in ancient Greek mythology, PASHIAS positions himself in the corporeal and ideological stance of Themis, a Titaness preceding the Olympian Gods, as the personification of justice, fairness and order. Holding a set of scales, Themis is responsible for balancing facts, knowledge and evidence, in order to determine the strengths of a case's support and opposition. In modern depictions, often found outside of courthouses, the Goddess is wearing a blindfold representing impartiality. As implied in the popular saying "Justice is blind", the ideal of fairness should unfold with no regard to an individual’s social status or wealth. PASHIAS' research into the 'scales of justice' as a symbol of value judgement, was initiated with a trilogy performance series "Equilibrium" that took place between 2012 and 2013 at Technopolis in Athens, at the Arsenale of Venice and lastly at Avantgarde Hotel in Istanbul, holding a plate attached to elastic strings in each hand. Offering a duo of traditional Greek delicacies to audience members in a series of three rounds, the dish selected by most viewers was lowered towards the floor to depict its popularity. The 'weight' of value is contrasted by the plate's physical weight, since the most consumed dish appears to be heavier despite of being empty. In PASHIAS' third solo exhibition "Body & Food" curated by Demosthenis Agrafiotis and Fotini Kapiris at the ArtWall Project Space in Athens, live performance "Equilibrium" was translated into an installation artwork. Accompanied by a series of scales with 'embalmed' Greek delicacies, the body presents itself as a vessel for food offerings - for values and ideals - and as means of consumption in its literal and metaphorical dimensions. In the series of sculptures "Themis", PASHIAS invents again a contemporary myth of his own, assuming that the blindfold has been imposed upon Themis, in order to block and control her individual judgment and opinion on contested facts. Removing the blindfold and letting go of the balancing scales, of gender traits and status hierarchies, Themis victoriously reveals his/her face and stands as the exhibition’s 'referee' taking into consideration the narratives and tales of violence told by the artworks around him/her.

Themis

Series of sculptures for group exhibition "Reclaiming" / Curated by Elena Ioannidou / The Edit Gallery / Limassol - CY / June - July 2021

Material: Marble, Polylactide, Brass, Ribbon