*200 copies limited edition* The book “The Head” presents a series of drawings and sketches on paper, created by Panos Sklavenitis between 2022 and 2024. Initially conceived as ideas for costumes and stage designs for his ongoing eponymous project, these sketches quickly evolved into autonomous artistic creations, opening new horizons in the exploration of the grotesque.

Through the “#thehead” series, Sklavenitis delves into the concept of the “carnivalesque” and the grotesque body, focusing on excess and transformation as essential aspects of human experience. Carnival, as a ritual form, highlights bodily exaggeration and disguise, offering a way to reconstruct our perception of the body and identity. The humor and subversion inherent in carnival traditions serve not only as forms of entertainment but also as tools for cultural critique and questioning. His work provides a fresh interpretation of the Latin “monstrum”, which originally meant a divine messenger of destruction, while later, in Old French, the word evolved to describe hybrid creatures like the centaur, the griffin, and the satyr.

This transitional space, between the human and the “more-than-human”, is central to Sklavenitis’ work. Through a series of multi-layered drawings, the artist explores the boundaries between the fantastical and the grotesque, drawing inspiration from mythological motifs and folk traditions. His approach is not merely aesthetic but reflective, inviting us to contemplate the concepts of monstrosity and change, particularly in an era of crisis where our relationships with nature and our identities are being redefined.

Sklavenitis’ works, through their complexity and depth, urge us to reflect on how the monstrous and the hybrid can transform our perception of the world, nature, and human existence, creating a dialogue between the past, the present, and a prospective future. —Eleni Riga, Independent Curator and Cultural Producer