LOUKIA RICHARDS
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THE TRINITY OF BEARS
A girl reads "Theodora, Empress of the Byzantine Empire" and lands in the Circus of Constantinople where a bear tamer is torturing a bear. She comforts her without fear. The bear says that only people who follow their hearts will ever be free. The bear tamer beats the girl and is attacked by the bear. Theodora intervenes and forbids the torture of animals. They all dance together. The girl wakes up; a priest tells her friend, the old lady, died. The book lies at her feet. This was not a dream.
This work is inspired by the amazing life of Theodora (6th century AD), the rich tradition of Greek puppet and shadow theater, and the animals' kind and free nature. Theodora was a bear tamer's daughter who ruled an empire.
My late friend Manon Pana Kairi, a Greek painter, used to say: "Nature is despised and destroyed without mercy". Let's try to change it.
www.loukiarichards.net
www.zlr-betriebsimperium.com
"Trinity Of Cats", 2021. Crochet, embroidery. Photo: Chr. Ziegler