"Searching for Her" Installation by Anne Athena

“Searching For Her” is a body of work by Anne Athena that explores the process of reclaiming lost parts of oneself over time.

Complex trauma can cause individuals’ minds and inner beings to fracture, akin to a bone splitting in two. However, while a broken bone is visible and its healing process relatively straightforward, the healing of the mind and soul is far less tangible. What is often referred to as healing or recovery involves searching for these fragmented parts within the subconscious and reintegrating them into a sense of wholeness.

For Anne Athena, imagination serves as a dreamscape where these lost parts reside and reveal themselves. As an artist, she engages in this dialogue not through words but through symbols, colours, shapes, and storytelling. “Searching For Her” specifically represents a journey toward rediscovering the authentic self—the self that exists before external influences such as environment, culture, upbringing, or trauma. She finds this essence within the magic of her creative inner world, a place beyond time, space, and definition.

Anne Athena incorporates the symbol of the cloud in this collection, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and art, where clouds represent impermanence—a fundamental concept in Buddhism. With their ever-changing forms, clouds mirror the transient nature of life, emotions, and desires, making them the perfect representation of the inner creative space known as imagination.

Hand built ceramics, with underglaze painting, enamels and gold luster.

2025

Wicked Ladies Journey (vase)

Ocean Cloud

Feral Cloud

True Love Cloud

Peace Cloud

Magic Cloud

Navigation Cloud

Danger Cloud