Portfolio

My work engages with Lefkaritika, the traditional Cypriot embroidery, exploring its cultural, historical, and feminist dimensions. Once deeply embedded in patriarchal traditions, Lefkaritika was historically created by young women as part of marriage dowries, reinforcing ideas of virtue and domestic skill rather than personal expression. My practice seeks to reclaim and recontextualize this craft, transforming it into a medium for contemporary feminist discourse.

​

Through an experimental and research-led approach, I examine how Lefkaritika can be repositioned beyond its patriarchal and colonial histories while preserving its cultural significance. I work with both traditional techniques and new materials, reimagining motifs, scale, and colour to disrupt conventional expectations of the craft. By shifting its form and context, I challenge the historical associations of embroidery with domesticity and passive labour, instead highlighting its potential as an act of resistance and storytelling.

​

Central to my practice is the loom—a historically gendered tool often tied to repetitive, invisible labour. I explore how it can be reimagined as a feminist symbol that bridges generational divides, linking the hands of past artisans with contemporary makers. In my work, I draw from feminist and postcolonial theory to question how cultural heritage is preserved, who defines authenticity, and how craft can serve as a site of identity, memory, and social critique.

​

I also incorporate oral histories and intergenerational dialogue into my process, engaging with artisans—including my grandmother—to understand the lived experiences embedded within Lefkaritika. These exchanges are integral to my artistic exploration, allowing me to document and reinterpret the craft through both personal and collective narratives.

​

Through a practice-led methodology, I situate Lefkaritika within contemporary art, craft, and feminist movements. My work seeks to disrupt the boundaries between tradition and innovation, challenging the perception of heritage crafts as static relics and instead positioning them as evolving forms of cultural expression and critique.