In the summer of 1995, Papadimitriou gave a performance as she dove into the sea, naked except for a semi-transparent garment resembling either the chiton worn for Christian baptism or a hospital gown. She performed this last Personal Dialogue in Itea, the seaport of Delphi which was the center of the ancient Hellenic world, titling it I, Mary, a signature inspired by the science fiction stories of Isaac Asimov.

In this work she addressed the artist Joseph Kosuth as “Doctor,” based on the fact that she believed him to be the ultimate figure on philosophical discourse in conceptual art. On this matter she states in her Personal Dialogues essay: “He seemed the most suitable artist to introduce me to the necessary psychoanalytical process through which I could re-define myself in order to start over as a blank canvas. I appreciated Kosuth’s exhaustive conceptuality which pushes the limits of language and philosophical thought. I would like to start from the very beginning. We all have a right to a new beginning.”

Maria Halkias

Itea, Port of Delfi, Greece