CN: TheC2007frag MT: mixed media: glass, plaster, PVC, China ink, gouache and glue on touch paper on canvas (130x120x9) TX: signed with pencil at lower right of picture in Greek IL: Megakles Rogakos 2009, p.90-91 CT: Art-Act, Athens - 2009 CM: In its abstractedness the visual speech of Christos Theofilis is poetic. With his Fragile Journey he explores the concept of man's sensitive path in life. In the heart of the composition appears a rectangular map, where dark inks corrode the walls of a perimetrical series of luminous glasses that attempt in vain to contain them. In the map's center four transparent glasses, which open outwards towards different directions, create a compass. Where their bases meet, the glasses form a circle as a target. A real tavern glass is placed of the map's upper side and presents the glass as a fragile material. From within it rises the figure of Icarus, who made the first trip flying, with the wings still attached on his back. Therefore, Theofilis negotiates the meaning of the fragile journey as a daring deed in life. Let the impetus Icarus' flight gave to the invention of the airplane not be overlooked. By extension Theofilis' Fragile Journey can be redefined as the adventurous life of Lafcadio Hearn. In actual fact Lafcadio had covered the world's four cardinal points - the East with Greece; the North with the United Kingdom; the West with America; and the East with Japan. To become a citizen of the world, Lafcadio had to have a vision, and this vision made him fragile. However, despite the dangers Lafcadio risked taking the trip to the end. His life was essentially a travelogue in the fragility of the human condition. To this life is also owed the fragility of Lafcadio's poetry, which strums inner chords. Notwithstanding the subject, the Fragile Journey relates to the Japanese technique and aesthetic. On the one hand the artwork was largely created of Japanese paper, and on the other hand the inks were used with a Japanese sensibility that brings forth the transparency of materials. With Fragile Journey Theofilis is obviously concerned about the internal journey of spiritual silence. The arrows that surround the human figure on either side symbolize exaltation - the flight of the soul and the spirit. [Megakles Rogakos 01/2009] BIBLIOGRAPHY: ROGAKOS, MEGAKLES The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn 2009 The American College of Greece - ACG Art, Athens