Jafia packaging boxes, tape, markers
(Jafia's cosmetic boxes gifted to the artist by Vangelis Georgakopoulos, descendant of Jafia cosmetics company owner)
“Hydratante” is an installation of cut-out carton unused packaging boxes, the original packaging of facial creams and beauty products from a 1960s cosmetics company in Athens, Greece called Jafia, run by three sisters that were making and distributing their products for three decades following their own recipes. These boxes were once designed to sell beauty and transformation, but now they exist as empty shells, remnants of an old commercial promise.
By repurposing these found objects I examine the "gimmick" as an aesthetic and conceptual device. Working with these discarded boxes, I want to explore the idea of the "gimmick"—something that seems promising, exciting or necessary but often turns out to be empty. The beauty industry is bombarding us with these kinds of promises, social media are selling dreams in new fancy packaging through beauty experts and short videos that often do not deliver. I paint and arrange these old boxes in a structured composition, exaggerating their presence to highlight both their appeal and their ultimate disposability, questioning our “meditation” on illusionary value and distorted authenticity.
