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Vanessa Paschakarnis:

Feel with your eyes

25 January 2023 | 33 minutes

German born Vanessa Paschakarnis migrated to Nova Scotia before coming to Pietrasanta in northern Italy. Hers is a philosophical approach to sculpture.

I met Vanessa through Californian photographer, Gail Skoff, who took a special series of photos of Vanessa, which you can see on this page.

Hand finishing Anapnoí

In front of her studio-home is a dusty yard filled with her work. She works in large series’ and themes include horned and winged beings, beasts, and shadows.

Horned Being (Vulnerable), 2021, Bardiglio marble, Rosa Portugal marble, 60 × 52 × 147 (height) cm

Horn for Anapnoí

Horned Being (Bestia Umana), 2020, Bardiglio marble, Rosa Portugal marble, 70 × 60 × 184 (height) cm

Behind us is the large hangar-like industrial building with huge windows, which is being transformed into studio space for her and her husband, sculptor John Greer.

Shadow of the Guardian

Vanessa is hugely inspired by nature and we settle to chat in a small oasis of flowers and water – where a pond, fed by a stream is home to fish and frogs. I also meet her spectacular Bengal cat, Tarzan von der Saffenburg.

Vanessa and Tarzan

Thanks to Gail Skoff for this collaboration and the fantastic photographs of Vanessa.

Vanessa bowing to the 'gods' with Anapnoí, 2022, and Horned Being (Bestia Umana), 2020

All photos by Gail Skoff: gailskoff.com – instagram.com/skoffupclose

Credits

Producer: Sarah Monk

Sound edit/design: Guy Dowsett

Music: courtesy of Audio Network

  • Cotton Wool 3577/005, David O’Brien and Paul Clarvis

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