Reggina Darzenta is an artist, who grew up in Piraeus.
Spending her summers in the Aegean Islands, Reggina first came in contact with the traditional local arts in Santorini and Paros. Later, she indulged in the local folklore, fairytales, and myths of Greek culture. She started mainly as a collector, but soon, she found herself making her own pieces.
Mostly self-taught, Reggina uses many different mediums, which include clay, painting, and natural materials (that she collects) to manifest her inspirations. She sees her work as a form of meditation, therapy, and expressive freedom.
Hello Reggina! How would you describe your art to people?
Reggina: I want my art to convey emotions and a sense that there is a story behind every piece. I would describe it as a way of expressing the impulsivity of my unconscious mind. It’s ethereal, spontaneous, sometimes dark but always deeply personal.
You started as a collector but soon started working on your own pieces. How did you know you want to do this, was there a lightbulb moment in this journey?
Reggina: My journey started at a very young age. Due to my learning disorders, I was always making stuff as a way of learning and understanding the world around me.
As I became a teen, I started collecting figurines and paintings of mythical creatures. Unfortunately, there was a limit to my collection, because my family was struggling financially.
So, one day I had an idea. What If I could make my own mythical world? My first tools were things I could find around the house and clay.
Your art is mostly influenced by local folklore, fairytales, and myths of Greek culture. Could you tell us a bit more about that?
Reggina: My country has a plethora of myths and tales. From ancient mythology to recent folk tales coming from various places in the Greek countryside. It’s a rich combination that includes epic tales of mermaids, fairies, gods, giant serpents, goblins and so much more.
The old becomes one with the new with recurring themes of death, resurrection, and various ‘miracles’, which can be seen in several facets of our culture and tradition.
What is a day of working like in your studio? Do you have any rituals that help you get motivated or in “the zone”?
Reggina: I have very specific rituals when It comes to creating. I rarely work with daylight as I am more drawn to the quiet calm hours of the night. I select various music pieces to help me get inside my mind. I love to have scattered around a variety of materials for inspiration. I also need my lamper shirt and I always put my hair in a messy bun.
When my work is finished, I used to celebrate a work well done with a rolled cigarette, but, since I stopped smoking, it’s some kind of treat.
What’s the most challenging part of your artistic process? And how do you overcome it?
Reggina: The most challenging part is to trust your instinct, overcome self-doubt and not let the mistakes get you down.
It would be a lie to say that I achieve it all the time, but you just have to trust the process and keep going.
My love for the subject and the tranquillity it offers me really fuels my passion and makes me keep going back and trying again.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired your artwork.
Reggina: I experienced losses and hardships throughout my life, which added fuel to my creativity. It became a way of a coping mechanism for me, dealing with my inner ‘demons’.
How has your style changed or evolved over the years?
Reggina: My style has changed in some ways the last few years, I started to use a wider variety of colors and themes or tried different mediums in my creative process.
I learned how to make dolls, paint on glass, curving on various materials. My work is more detailed, polished and I’m not afraid to try new things. It’s a continuous effort to keep my work fresh and exciting.
What is your most recent piece of art that you have enjoyed working on the most, and why?
Reggina: It was an old piece of furniture I found in the street, I brought it home, I restored and repurposed it as a spice rack for my home.
It was such a pleasure to take something with its own story and give it new life.
What are you currently working on?
Reggina: I’m collecting ideas for a new project that will have to do with gender identity and the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s in the early stages so I cannot say anything more about this project.
What I can say is that I’m currently working on a fairy house lamp. The base of the house is a species of pumpkins you find in Paros island, which the locals dry, paint and use as decoration.
Do you see your art as serving a purpose beyond art?
Reggina: For me, creating is more of an impulse. Mainly, it’s a form of therapy for myself. If I manage to make someone happy with my art, that would be fulfilling.
What’s next on the horizon for Reggina?
Reggina: First of all, I want to get into pottery. My goal is to learn and discover new ways of artistic expression and make some new friends on the way.
