Militsa is an Irish Cypriot printmaker and multidisciplinary artist based in Dublin. She is currently in her final year of study at NCAD.
Militsa came to know the Garden during a period of personal upheaval. She found a deep sense of connectedness and renewed creativity from spending time there. This work is the result of her time spent in meditative exploration of both the spiritual and physical aspects of the Garden.

“My art practise is deeply rooted in my relationship with the land. I created ‘Held by the Elders’ through connecting with the land and those tending to the land within the Trinity Botanic Garden.

“I found a particular interest in the spiritual and cultural meanings surrounding the native oak tree (Quercus robur) and the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba). These trees are native and non-native to this land, much like me.

“I found a deep connection to these two trees in particular. I feel they hold great ancient wisdom with the power to instil a sense of groundedness and peace in those who come into their presence.

“I wanted to capture and portray the sacred energies of these trees in a multilayered deconstructed screenprint installation. This involved creating natural pigments from soil and rainwater from within the gardens as well as exploring organic meditative drawing and photographic processes which resulted in the final work.”

‘Held by the Elders’ has most recently been shown at the Europa Gallery, Dublin, as part of the BELONG exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of EU enlargement, in which Militsa represented Cyprus.