Solo Art Installation by Artist Eleni Gatsiou: The Escape of the Fly

BIOGRAPHY OF ELENI GATSIOU

Eleni Gatsiou was born in Larissa in 1997. She graduated from the General High School of Tirnavos in 2015 and entered the Department of Kindergarten at the Faculty of Education of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina. She studied at the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina, at the 3rd Laboratory, with professors Haris Kontosfiri and Thomas Zographos, from 2015 to June 2019.

She presented her first solo exhibition in July 2020, at the Old Museum of Contemporary Art in Florina. She participated in the 7th Festival of Storytelling and the Arts of Speech, organized by the 3rd Painting Workshop of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts and the Pedagogical Department of Kindergarten of PDM, in collaboration with the DI.PE.THE. Kozani, entitled: “A pencil projections”. In addition, he attended the International Conference: “For a Visual Arts School of the 21st Century – Florina” from 12 to 14 May 2017.

He has participated in over 30 group exhibitions in museums and galleries, the most important of which are: “By Candlelight” Paleontological Historical Museum of Ptolemaida 2018, “Welcome to what you think you see” – Platforms Project 2019 – EN FLO, “Arts and Theatre” Xenia Epidaurus Epidaurus 2020, National Gallery of Skopje,OSTEN Museum 2021, Pigadia – Platforms Project 2021 with EN FLO Group, “The Mitos of Ariadne” Chicago Athenaeum Museum and European Center for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies 2021, “Transitions” Folklore and Ethnological Museum 2021, “1821 Vision of another revolution”, Gr Collectors 2021, War Museum of Athens, Biennale International D’Art Bibart Bari Italy 2021, The Poetics of space, Braggart Gallery, Mill of Pappa, Under the auspices of the Mayoralty of Culture and Science of Larissa, 2022, Memory Ware Houses, Braggart Gallery at Joist Innovation Park 2022, Inside The Myth, Deputy Mayoralty of Culture and Science of Larissa, 2022. Paint the Lyric, Ithaca, 2020/2021/2022, Fichtia, Schools of Fine Arts of Athens and Florina, Architectural Schools of Marseille, Paris and Greece, Mycenae, 2022, Eternal Matrix DIPOLA Digenakis Winery 2022, 6 Art Thessaloniki Braggart Gallery, 2022.

BIOGRAPHY OF HARIS KONTOSFYRIS

Haris Kontosfyris was born in Mytilene in 1965. He began his studies in film directing at the Hatzikou School in Athens (1984-1987) and then studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1987-1993). He presented his first solo exhibition at Desmos Art Gallery (Athens) in 1992. From his early works, he used construction materials such as cement and industrialized iron, proposing viewing as mediated energy.

Alongside his artistic work, he taught as Lecturer at the Department of Plastic Arts and Art Sciences of the University of Ioannina (2007). Since 2021 he has been a Professor at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Western Macedonia (Florina).

His research framework focuses on the interactive function of art, and he coordinates collaborative and interactive exhibitions. He has presented his work in 19 solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad and participates in group and international exhibitions. He regularly collaborates with Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens and Lola Nikolaou Gallery, Thessaloniki. He participated, among others, in the 3rd Biennale of Young Artists from Mediterranean Countries (Bologna, Italy 1988), in the 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale (2009), in the 2nd Beijing International Biennale (2015), while in 2004, he represented Greece in the 26th Sao Paulo Biennale. Since 2010, in his solo exhibitions, he has been activating synergies with other artists.