“Al Zekra”: Imprints of Memory

The exhibition Al Zekra by Sofia Zarari at the Angelos and Leto Katakouzinos Foundation traces a journey through memory and the body. The Arabic word translated as “memory” transforms into a carrier of knowledge and an imprint that re-emerges through matter.

Zarari’s practice unfolds through connections with individuals, genealogies, sea routes, and migrations. Different places and times are inscribed within a shared sphere, where Ancient Athens, Kasos, Suez, Egypt, and the present form successive layers of a unified inner horizon.

The starting point of the exhibition was the skull of a young animal, which activated a process of care and transformation. Around this core, the works are built upon bones bound with threads, beads, fabrics, metals, stones, and photographic fragments. Surfaces become fields of re-inscription. Touch, desire, and the need for protection acquire a new material presence.

The bone emerges as a vessel of memory and transmission. The works encapsulate elements of familial continuity through processes that evoke the reconstruction of a complex experience, akin to a votive offering. Each form develops its own core of meaning.

The works in the exhibition stand as vessels of protection and preservation, in contact with the unconscious. Matter absorbs time, and every surface retains the trace of life. Memory is born as presence through gesture and the fusion of materials.

A few words about Sofia Zarari

Sofia Zarari initially studied Political Science at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, seeking a deeper understanding of the world. She later pursued Jewellery Design at the Mokume Silversmithing and Jewellery Design School, followed by studies in wax modelling at the Accademia delle Arti Orafe in Rome.

In 1997, she began her career as a fine jewellery designer, collaborating with leading companies and consistently participating in major European exhibitions.

Working with collage and assemblage techniques, Zarari gradually moved beyond the boundaries of small-scale art and the conventions of wearable jewellery, developing a visual language that expands into the field of contemporary art.

In recent years, her practice has increasingly focused on the social dimension of art. She occasionally incorporates elements of performance -movement and speech- as a way to engage with cultures, revisit primal practices, decode symbols, and explore their meanings.

Alongside her artistic work, she has gained significant experience teaching jewellery design. Writing has also become an essential medium of expression, with her texts accompanying exhibitions and her articles appearing in the digital press.

In 2018, she opened a new channel of communication with the public through the launch of her label MYSTiS by Sofia Zarari.

She regularly participates in solo and group exhibitions, and her works are held in private collections and museums worldwide.