LETO

LETO

Project

THE ETERNAL FESTIVAL

MATERIALS

WICKER CANE

Location

MYKONOS GREECE, 2019

Height

16 feet

Made for The Eternal Festival held at Scorpios, Mykonos, Leto distils regional and mythological influences with material and formal eloquence. The f igure recalls the Greek myth of Leto, a Titan of famed beauty who was seduced by Zeus. Then banished by Hera, Zeus’s wife, Leto was sent wandering in search of a refuge, finally giving birth to her twins, Apollo and Artemis, on a rock. The rock became the island Delos and a festival known as the Delia was established to honour Apollo’s birthplace.

Popper’s choice of materials here is site-specific, to tie into the aesthetics of the site and the venue. The work, inspired by Ancient Cycladic clay figures, is the artist’s most abstracted work and is the only of his sculptures to date made from wicker-cane. Apollo and Artemis are symbolically referenced by the two lanterns within the statue. Leto is both a symbol of the pregnant Titan and a place to gather, which the figure invites people to do under the shade of her womb.

Leto holds in her impermanent form the mythological significance of the place and the ancient histories that shaped it. Originally created as a temporary piece, the artwork will continue to be displayed at Scorpios until she finally succumbs to the elements.