It is with huge gratitude that I am writing to you today in order to thank you for offering me this very symbolic "Guilty" !
Because of my origins ....... I am devastated by what we are comfortably observing, on our multiple devices ......
My father __________ was a Greek born in Odessa in 1909.
In 1916 my grandparents understood the 20th century was going to be a tragedy, not allowing them to leave any inheritance to their 2 boys, apart from a good Swiss education. Therefore my grandmother named __________ (my eponym) took her 2 boys, her jewels and 4 trunks (full of irreplaceable objects, photos, official documents and letters) and left Odessa in 1916 to escape the Bolsheviks and find refuge in Switzerland. At that time there was an important Greeks and Russian community based in Lausanne.
The Queen of Greece was based there during WW1 and an old aunt of mine __________ was her lady of company. My grandmother sold all her jewels to the Queen Helène of Greece in order to afford Le Rosey for my uncle __________ and L'école Nouvelle de Chailly for my father __________.
During that time my grandfather who had a General Store business in Russia , following the construction of the Transsiberian from Moscow to Vladivostok (where my uncle __________ was born in 1902 ) left Odessa to develop a wood business in Galtz (Romania). He bought forests in Moldavia and was shipping the wood on the Danube...... During that period my uncle __________ and my grandmother __________ passed away in tragic conditions ................ My father __________, after his economical studies in Marseille and London, went back to Bucharest and Galatz in order to help his father and he spent 20 wonderful years in Romania.
In 1945 the Bolchevics arrived in Romania and at that point my father just escaped at the very last minute with the 4 trunks and refuged himself in Lisbon where he spent 17 beautiful years. Most of our family had gone to the United States and Canada but my father, being single and ruined with no family left, wanted to stay in Europe. Lisbon was a strategic choice since it was as far as one could stay away from the Bolsheviks.
One evening he went to listen to some Fado and met my mother __________ who was a young and beautiful Swede on holidays in Lisboa. My mother was the daughter of __________, a Swedish engineer and industrialist based in Gävle. She had studied fashion drawings and textile printing at Beckmans College of design in Stockholm and was a real artist and my main teacher, since I became an __________. Despite their 25 years difference and their origins, they fell in love and decided to marry.
My mother was not keen on living in Lisbon and my father had a job opportunity in Geneva and they decided to go back to Switzerland. I was then born in 1963 in Geneva .................. where I was raised in 4 languages: Swedish, French, English and Portuguese (by my angel nanny who was the daughter of a portuguese fisherman).
My life is cinematographical ....... one day i will need to write it, in order to transmit the saga to my children __________ (22) and __________ (19) who are studying in Geneva ......after a tragic return to Switzerland ............ and after 6 years of adventures in Brooklyn where me and my ex husband and creative partner __________ had a __________ store called __________.
I came back in 2018 with my 2 children, 2 trunks and $200 in my pocket ................. leaving my ex-husband, New York, my friends and my company ..................... History repeats .................. very obviously !
Last Sunday I went to the Franco Russian church of Chambésy to pray for Ukraine and my beloved missing ones ............... that sunday is the one of the great Forgiveness and the start of the big Carême in Orthodoxy. After 5 hours liturgy at the Church ......... I decided to offer myself an entrance ticket to Art Genève.
When I arrived at your booth I was straight away attracted by "Guilty" and had the warm welcoming of Samuel who made me discover your amazing work......................!
You, Sam and Andrea made the rest of the story happen .............................. HALLELUJAH .........................!
I have no words to tell you how important and symbolic "Guilty" is. It is hanging in my room next to my bed. And it is a symbol of a divine MIRACLE ..........................!
Thank you all Take good care In friendship _______________
