Artist Bio
Krista Varsakis (she/her) is an emerging multimedia artist of Greek heritage and an uninvited guest on these lands.
Born in Vancouver to Greek immigrant parents, she has always felt like she existed in the liminal space between Greek and Canadian cultures - not fully seeing herself represented in either. Her own intersectionality inspired this piece.
She resides in Nelson, BC with her partner Matt and her dog.
Artist Statement
This work explores ancestry, remembrance and the histories that shape our identities. Drawing on my Greek heritage and experience of cultural liminality raised in Canada, I reflect on the complexities of belonging, displacement and intergenerational connection.
A plaster cast of my own face, gilded in gold, serves as a tribute to my ancestors and a way of embodying histories I have only partially known. Projected onto a crochet dowry made by my mother and grandmother, family photographs and video bring together generations through memory, craft and storytelling. While honouring my broader family lineage, the work places particular emphasis on the often-overlooked experiences and contributions of women.
Created for Día de los Muertos, this altar is an act of remembrance, reconnection and personal healing. My hope is that it will invite reflection on whose stories we inherit from our ancestors and how this shapes us in the present.
