Dementia
Dementia
By Théreza E. Zgheib
In Artworks
Couldn't load pickup availability
Stock level: 1 left
Item details:
▸ Features: Handmade Unique Piece▸ Materials: Canvas
▸ Art technique: Acrylic Painting
▸ Dimensions (cm): 30.0 x 30.0 x 2.0
▸ Net Weight (kg): 1.0
"Dementia" is a haunting portrayal of memory’s slow, inevitable decay, a visual representation of a mind unraveling, drifting into the void. The stark contrast between the vibrant, intricate fragments and the cold, desolate background reflects the tension between what remains and what is lost. The fissured, almost cellular structures suggest a breaking apart of consciousness, where once-coherent experiences become scattered, inaccessible remnants.
The artist’s description - "Floating fragments of a long-lost life suspended in an infinite void of a cold, dead mind" - captures the profound loneliness and detachment that dementia brings. The imagery speaks of memories that linger like echoes, trapped in isolated pockets of awareness, unreachable yet persistently present.
According to Embodied Realities curator Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, "Dementia" is a poignant exploration of the body as an unreliable archive. It forces us to confront the fragility of cognition, the slow erosion of selfhood, and the cruel paradox of embodiment, where the body remains but the person disappears. This piece is not just about loss, but about the lingering presence of what was, floating in the void of what is no longer.
By confronting the disintegration of memory and identity, "Dementia" compels us to reflect on what it means to exist when the mind begins to betray the body. It is both a lament and a testament to the traces we leave behind, however fractured they may become.
Production year: 2024.
About Théreza E. Zgheib
Theresa Zgheib is a 21-year-old artist on the autism spectrum, living independently near her university with her two cats. Entirely self-taught, she has been drawing and painting for over a decade, though she has long been reluctant to share her work. After experiencing the dehumanizing nature of corporate jobs, she realized she would rather create meaningful art than contribute to a system that thrives on empty advertising. Her goal is to produce work that demands presence and contemplation rather than something passively consumed in a social media feed.
Working primarily with acrylic on canvas, Zgheib explores themes of disconnection, bodily alienation, and the unsettling experience of being a spectator in one’s own life. Her work captures the horror of existence in a decaying body—one that feels more like an ill-fitting costume than a home. She draws inspiration from psychedelic rock, bones found in the woods, religious iconography, nightmares, the voices in her mind, her cats, and above all, pomegranates—objects she collects and keeps close for their strange sense of comfort.
For Zgheib, this exhibition is more than an opportunity to display her work—it is a search for kindred spirits. She seeks those who see beyond social performance, those who don’t attend funerals out of obligation but because they cannot bear to let someone grieve alone. No matter the space offered, even a small wall near the bathroom, she is simply grateful for the chance to be seen.