ALICE PONIROU
Few words about me
I am a poet and a self-taught artist with the purpose of spreading quietness.
If you already know me, surely you’ve seen my signature hashtag, #throughquietness.
Background
I am of Armenian origin, born and raised in Athens, Greece. I have studied marketing and communications, and among other things I have experimented with poetry, creative writing, drawing, collage, bookbinding and photography.
From a very young age, a pencil was always in my (left) hand and that helped me to express and learn myself.
My first passion is poetry. I have published two poetry books in Greek, which have been nominated for multiple awards, awarded as “Modern Poetry”, and dramatized by young actors.
My other passion is drawing mandalas. Unexpectedly, one day I started drawing them with a great enthusiasm and concentration.
So, I focused my energy on this kind of art.
My drawings have found their homes – from Greece to Cyprus, France, Spain, Turkey, Belgium - and bring beautiful feelings to their owners.
Intention
I create a kind of intuitive and meditative art.
My purpose is to help the viewer of my artworks develop attention, concentration and awareness, and achieve a state of quietness, calmness and certainty about life and existence.
What is a mandala?
A mandala (Sanskrit: circle) can mean and offer a few different things; I chose the interpretation that applies best to me and my culture.
A mandala is a symbolic geometric design used as a spiritual guidance tool, an instrument of meditation. It represents the cosmos, the universe, the wholeness, and it is a model for the structure of life itself.
A mandala has layers; it opens like a flower. Its circular design symbolizes the idea that life is never ending and everything is connected, and reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our body and mind.
The layers of a mandala represent the spiritual journey within the viewer, the one of understanding the unity in cosmos
and finding one’s own place within it.