Classical myths centering female protagonists are the starting point for a series of nine collages by Kalliopim Lemos titled Exploration of the Feminine (2021). Lemos combined hand-made Japanese paper, Italian Permagenta paper, cuttings from fashion magazines, and her own drawn and painted images, to produce startling and sometimes comic tableaus set inside architectural settings. An ongoing focus for Lemos over several decades of work has been human rights and female oppression, challenging the viewer and encouraging reflection and discussion. Here, drawing on ancient archetypes, she wittily meditates on the multitude of sensations, challenges, and possibilities contained within the notion of ‘the feminine’.

Lemos' work Astarte (2021) features several depictipons of an ancient goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war, worshipped across the Mediterranean and Middle East. The largest image, drawn and painted by Lemos, indicates Astarte's origins as a Canaanite mother goddess in Egypt. Other collaged figures indicate Astarte being assimilated into Greek belief, as a classical sculpture, covering herself and 'hiding her modesty'.