Lost Lady Of Sikinos, Neiko

Milan ~ Chengdu ~ Izmir

In July 2018, during restoration work on Episkopi, an ancient mausoleum and later Byzantine church situated in a remote mountainous area of Sikinos island in the southern Cyclades, archeologists discovered the cist grave, hermetically sealed, of a prominent woman named Νεικω placed in the blind spot of the monument’s underground vault inside double walls. It has been dated to the 2nd century ad. Her name was revealed by a burial epigram. The grave included golden bracelets, rings, a necklace and brooch, together with vases, metal objects and the organic remains of her clothing. Mystery surrounds the burial now considered necrophobic exorcism due to the sulphur and mineral tar placed on her chest. Was it superstition of her condition that caused her to be closed up like this? She was certainly praised in the epigram, her virtues expressed in a way rarely matched in that period, and that her body was buried in the beautiful Sikinos mausoleum indicates deep affection from those who were close.

My 'Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko' photographs anticipated the discovery by two years becoming the centre of the ‘Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades’ project.

Panoramic View of Episkopi Church, Sikinos — *Panoramic View* *of Episkopi Church, Sikinos*

See the official video ‘The Secrets of the Episkopi of Sikinos’ about the discovery of the grave of Neiko created by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports with the General Directorate of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades from the following link.

My 'Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko' photographs anticipated the discovery by two years becoming the centre of the ‘Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades’ project. The director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades was particularly enthusiastic describing them as “very interesting”, permitting me to quote him publicly. The image below titled ‘Visitor’ was centrepiece of the exhibition at the Aquarium of Milan in spring 2019, and also at the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum in Sichuan, China where my project represented Greece, together with aerial photography of Tinos island by A. Kontogeorgis, as part of the Chengdu Europe Culture Season 2020 from September 27th - November 5th. The ‘Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko’ photo was officially supported by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports together with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades in the use of the video ‘The Secrets of the Episkopi of Sikinos’.

In March 2022 an exhibition of the project took place at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre in Izmir, Turkey organised by the Consulate General of Greece in Izmir (Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in cooperation with Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, with official support once again from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades in the use of the Episkopi video which accompanied the ‘Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko’ image.

“The exhibition was inaugurated on Sunday, 27 September, in the presence of the Ambassador of Greece to China, Mr Georgios Iliopoulos. In the video he made for the inauguration, Mr. Wilman dedicated the exhibition to the memory of Professor Angelos Delivorias, former director of The Benaki Museum. The ‘Lost Lady Of Sikinos, Neiko’ photo at the exhibition is officially supported by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού) and the (Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων) Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades through the use of their "Secrets of the Episkopi of Sikinos’.”

Greek News Agenda*

Here above is a description from Greek News Agenda about the ‘Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades - A Glimpse of the Aegean Sea’ exhibition at the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum as part of the Chengdu Europe Culture Season 2020. The event was organised by the Embassy of Greece in Beijing and Chengdu Foreign Affairs Office starting on 27th September and concluding on November 5th.

*Greek News Agenda is an online English language platform of Media Diplomacy Directorate / Department of Digital Communication (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretariat General for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad, Hellenic Republic) offering news, analysis and interviews that showcase political, economic, business, social and cultural developments in Greece.

Golden Grass at Episkopi My 'Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko' photographs anticipated the discovery by two years becoming the centre of the ‘Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades’ project. — *Golden Grass at Episkopi, Sikinos*
“ I feel particularly honored for being invited today to address the opening of the photography exhibition under the title “Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades — a glimpse of the Aegean Sea”, with works by the photographers Mark Wilman and Aristeidis Kontogiorgis, in this important and elegant Museum, the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum. … The photos shown here do not simply denote the past, evoking longing or nostalgia, but, even more, thanks to the perennial beauty of the Aegean Sea, they aspire to give rise to deeper appreciation of the natural environment and the “Cosmos” or Universe that inspired Greek Art. These feelings gave rise to the most typical attributes of the Greek Mind, such as the pursuit of true knowledge through exploration and excellence. … I do sincerely hope that this exhibition will mark the beginning of closer cultural ties and cooperation between our countries.”

Mr. Georgios Iliopoulos, Ambassador of Greece to China
(From the Ambassador’s speech at the inauguration ceremony 27/09/20)

Visitor

A solitary female figure approaches the entrance of a mysterious ancient Cycladic mausoleum.

Touch

The woman reaches for the entrance to Episkopi.

Embrace

She embraces the church close to where Neiko was hermetically hidden on the inside in the 2nd century AD.

“The exhibition exhibits a series of 52 photos taken by British photographer Mark Wilman and Greek photographer A. Kontogeorgis in the Cyclades and Aegean Sea. … The exhibition is presented in the form of photos, accompanied by clear and vivid text descriptions, showing the rich and fascinating beauty of the Cyclades Islands, allowing the public to further understand and explore the mysteries of nature, and advocate harmonious coexistence between man and nature. In this exhibition, you can also see the video on the consolidation and restoration of the Episkopi Church on Sikinos Island provided by the General Administration of Cultural Relics and Cultural Heritage (Cycladic Antiquities and Archaeology Bureau) of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Hellenic Republic.”

China News

*Roxana at Aghia Marina after posing at Episkopi*

Mystery surrounds the burial now considered necrophobic exorcism due to the sulphur and mineral tar placed on her chest.

Colophon at the Aquarium of Milan exhibition from 9th May to 5th June 2019 promoted by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Milan - due to European elections, both the Mayor and the Assessor of Culture’s names were not included.

“W. Mark Wilman presents his photographic project Discovering The Beauty Of The Cyclades by W. Mark Wilman at the prestigious Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre (Ahmed Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi) in İzmir, from 1 to 20 March 2022. The exhibition is organised with the support of the Consulate General of Greece in İzmir (Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Η Ελλάδα στον Κόσμο). As with the photographer’s previous exhibition at the "Chengdu Europe Culture Season" 2020 festival in China, the centrepiece of the photography project, "Lost Lady of Sikinos, Neiko", will be officially supported by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού) together with the (Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων) Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades in the use of the video "The Secrets of the Episkopi of Sikinos".”

Greek News Agenda on Facebook & Twitter

Episkopi in 2018 - profile

Episkopi of Sikinos

In 2016, Roxana and I visited Episkopi church on several occasions before actually beginning work. By the time we’d begun the scene where she wore a classical white dress, I’d sensed a female presence at the church, most probably from the decorative elements of the building’s facade. These images where she’s dressed in black were taken to the right of the entrance just after the ‘Lost Lady Of Sikinos, Neiko’ set was completed. I entitled them ‘Episkopi of Sikinos’ regardless of the building being originally created as a mausoleum for a Roman general in the 3rd century ad, as was believed until the discovery of Neiko in 2018. MW

These images where she’s dressed in black were taken to the right of the entrance of Episkopi church just after the ‘Lost Lady Of Sikinos, Neiko’ set was completed.