Chrysa and Nefeli
Ancient Hellenic myths demonstrate early attempts to interpret seemingly unexplainable aspects of the world that surrounds us. The myth of Demeter and Persephone describes the suffering of a mother that is not willing to accept her daughter's passage from childhood to adulthood. Nefeli, a modern Persephone, is trapped between two worlds: the one where she is an adult woman; and the other where she still lives with her mother in an incomplete separation. In Greece this familial dynamic is not unusual. The social roots of this phenomenon can be found in the foundation of the Greek family. The parents do not encourage their children to leave the parental home, and the children learn to see separation as a demonstration of betrayal to their parents. This project is an exploration of my closest friend’s family and her intimate relationship with her mother. I expose the intricacies of a Greek single-parent family living within the traditionally gendered culture of Athens, and the dynamic that subsequently has developed between these two women.
