Katerina Papazissi was born and raised in Athens. Dance was the first art form she dedicated herself to, while the landscapes of Greece shaped her visual imaginary. As a psychology and media student in London in the nineties, she immersed herself in its ideas, music, and art scene. She turned to the image as a mediator between inner and outer reality, and went on to study fine art. Over the years, she has developed a singular painting practice concerned with the body, desire, and representation from a female perspective.
Recent solo exhibitions include A Dancefloor of One’s Own at Ileana Tounta Contemporary Arts Center (2024) and But Today It Is Different at Athens Municipality Cultural Center (2022), curated by Christoforos Marinos. Recent group exhibitions include Der Latente Barock, Split Art Projects, Vienna, 2025, and A Rave Down Below as part of 2023 Eleusis-European Capital of Culture, curated by Panos Giannikopoulos.
In 2006, Papazissi co-curated Plastira 16 (Disposable Gallery), a collective project housed in her soon-to-be-demolished home, which represented Greece at the Biennale of Young Artists in Puglia (2008). She was a resident at The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, USA (2026), Monson Arts, USA (2023), and participated in Oxbow School of Art's (USA) Conversations in Practice (2022).
Papazissi holds an Integrated BA-MA in Painting from the Athens School of Fine Arts and an MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins, London, honoured with distinction. Her early studies were in Social Psychology (BSc) and Media and Communications (MSc), honoured with distinction from the London School of Economics.
Η Κατερίνα Παπαζήση γεννήθηκε και μεγάλωσε στην Αθήνα. Ο χορός ήταν η πρώτη τέχνη στην οποία αφοσιώθηκε, ενώ τα τοπία της Ελλάδας διαμόρφωσαν το οπτικό της φαντασιακό. Ως φοιτήτρια κοινωνικής ψυχολογίας και μέσων επικοινωνίας στο Λονδίνο τη δεκαετία του ’90, βυθίστηκε στις ιδέες, τη μουσική και την καλλιτεχνική σκηνή της εποχής. Στράφηκε στην εικόνα ως μεσολαβητή ανάμεσα στην εσωτερική και εξωτερική πραγματικότητα, και συνέχισε τις σπουδες της στις Καλές Τέχνες. Με τα χρόνια ανέπτυξε μια ιδιαίτερη ζωγραφική πρακτική που εστιάζει στο σώμα, την επιθυμία και την αναπαράσταση, από μια γυναικεία οπτική.
Πρόσφατες ατομικές εκθέσεις περιλαμβάνουν τις A Dancefloor of One’s Own, Κέντρο Σύγχρονης Τέχνης Ιλεάνα Τούντα, 2024 και But Today It is Different, 2022, Πολιτιστικό Κέντρο του Δήμου Αθηναίων ‘Μελίνα’ σε επιμέλεια Χριστόφορου Μαρίνου. Πρόσφατες ομαδικές εκθέσεις περιλαμβάνουν τις Der Latente Barock, Split Art Projects, Vienna, 2025 και A Rave Down Below, επιμέλεια Πάνος Γιαννικόπουλος, μέρος του προγράμματος της Ελευσίνας Πολιτιστικής Πρωτεύουσας της Ευρώπης, 2023. Το ομαδικό πρότζεκτ Πλαστήρα 16- γκαλερί μιας χρήσης, 2006 που συνεπιμελήθηκε, αντιπροσώπευσε την Ελλάδα στην Μπιενάλλε Νέων Καλλιτεχνών το 2008. Έχει συμμετάσχει στα προγράμματα φιλοξενίας : The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, (2026), Monson Arts (2023) , και Conversations in Practice, Oxbow School of Art (2022).
Σπούδασε ζωγραφική (BA, Integrated MA) στη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών της Αθήνας και MA Design Studies στο Central Saint Martins, London, (Distinction). Οι πρώτες της σπουδές ήταν στην Social Psychology (BSc) και Media and Communications (MSc), στο London School of Economics.
Studies
2000-2006 BA, Integrated MA. Painting. Athens School of Fine Art.
1999-2000 MA with Distinction in Design Studies. Central Saint Martins College of Art.
1998-1999 MSc with Distinction in Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science.
1993-1997 BSc Social Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Solo exhibitions and presentations
2024 A Dancefloor of One’s Own. Ileana Tounta Contemporary Arts Center, Athens, GR.
2022 But Today It Is Different. Cultural Center of the Athens Municipality, ‘Melina’. Curated by Christoforos Marinos.
2019 Autopoesis, part of the project I Am Used to Seeing the World in Images, curated by Jenny Tsoumbri. In collaboration with the mathematician Petros Stefaneas. Eugenides Foundation, Athens.
2014 That That is Not. Solo exhibition in the artist’s Studio- KP Studio. Curated by Maria Yiayiannou and Gogo Voudouri. (Catalog).
2010 Still Travelling. Installation for the Vitrina Project, Athens, Greece.
Curatorial Projects
2017 Domestic Matter. Exhibition in KP Studio. (the home studio of the artist)
2006 Plastira 16. Disposable Gallery. Exhibition/happening in the artist’s to-be-demolished house in Athens.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026 Elongated Acts, curated by Katerina Nikolaou, Amphicar Studio, Athens, Greece.
2025 Around About, curated by Julia Harrauer, Open Art Link, Piraeus, Greece.
2025 Der Latente Barock, Split Art Projects, Vienna, Austria.
2025 Velvet Gardens Festival, curated by The Callas and Nadja Argyropoulou, The Callas Farm, Thermissia, Greece.
2024 Trifles and Troupes, curated by Ioanna Gerakidi, The Blender Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2024 Art Athina, with Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center, Athens, Greece.
2023 A Rave Down Below, 2023Eleusis, curated by Panos Giannikopoulos, Old Olive Mill, Eleusina, Greece.
2023 Lavreotiki Art Project, curated by Amalia Charikiopoulou, Lavrion Technological Park, Greece.
2023 Close Up. Taf: The Art Foundation, Curated by Eirini Ruby and Alexandra Malakasioti.
2023 Resilience. Taf: The Art Foundation. Curated by Pow Wow.
2022 Ceramic Art Painting and Sculpture.Mon Coin Studio, Athens, Greece.
2021 New Acquisitions, Averoff Art Gallery, Metsovo, Greece.
2021 Motley Crew, curated by Margarita Myrogianni, Triantaros Public School, Tinos, Greece.
2021 I Can See Your House from Here, Haus N Athen 2, Athens, Greece.
2020 Art Instead, curated by Christina Makri, Phoenix Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2019 Lands of Creation. Averoff Art Gallery, Metsovo, Greece. Curated by Lina Tsikouta.
2019 Platforms projects. Athens School of Fine Arts
2018 Probably Wonderful?’. Old Paper Warehouse, Athens. Curated by Georg Georgakopoulos
2019 Lands of Creation, curated by Lina Tsikouta, Averoff Art Gallery, Metsovo, Greece.
2017 20 Years Ifac. Curated by Lee Wells. Ifac Athens, Greece.
2016 Unconscious Playground, curated by Maritina Kontaratou, Bouzianis Museum, Athens, Greece.
2016 State of Being and the Element of Surprise. Curated by Maria Zacharogianni and Antigone Pogiatzi. Metamatic:Taf. Athens, Greece.
2015 Jules Verne, curated by Chris Capten. The Loft, Athens, Greece.
2015 Ageanalle 2015, curated by Sozita Goudouna, Mykonos, Tinos, Greece.
2014 Chorographies: Lines of Flight, curated by Panos Giannikopoulos, Aglaia Komninou, and Christina Petkopoulou, Artscape Athens, Greece.
2013 Thrills and Chills, curated by Daily Lazy Projects and Christina Androulidaki, CAN Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2013 Thrills and Chills, curated by Daily Lazy Projects, Art Athina, Greece.
2011 Hereafter. The intermediary space, curated by Theofilos Tramboulis, Cultural Center of the City of Athens, Greece.
2010 Hidden Athens. Part 2 (Transgressive Athens), Part 3 (City Ghosts), curated by Thanassis Moutsopoulos and Kentro Apokentro, TAF, The Art Foundation. Athens, Greece
2010 Recycling, Reusing, Appropriating. 50 years of Greek Ready-made, curated by Thanassis Moutsopoulos, Kalamata Municipal Gallery, Greece.
2010 The Sotiria Project, curated by Panagiotis Papadopoulos, Sotiria Hospital, Athens, Greece.
2009 George Tourlas and his friends. Kappatos Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2008 Environment-Action Villa Kazouli. Athens, Greece.
2008 Biennale of Young Artists. Puglia, Italy.
2008 1st Photo-Biennale, Thessaloniki, Greece.
2004 The Body in Ancient Drama. Kronos Factory, Eleusina, Greece.
Performances/Live events
2022 But today It Is Different/ Immersion. Event/performance in collaboration with Anna Tzakou and Thaleia Ioannidou. Melina Cultural Center, Athens, Greece
2006 Closet, Performance in Plastira 16 Disposable Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2005 Rope. Performance in El Mono, Bilbao. Basque Country
2005 Diva. Street Performance in Bilbao, Basque Country.
Collections (public)
Athens Municipal Gallery (2024)
Averoff Art Gallery, Metsovo. (2021)
Residencies/workshops
2026 The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, USA.
2023 Monson Arts, Maine, USA.
2022 Conversations in practice, Oxbow School of Art, USA.
Bibliography
2024 Lakashmi Rivera Amin, A View From The Easel, Hyperallergic, August 29. Link
2024 Cover art for Athens Voice, issue 930 (collaborative work with Alexandra Kollaros). Link
2024 Marilena Astrapellou Resistance to Pausing, To Vima, print edition.
2024 Dora Trogadi, Katerina Papazissi and a Dancefloor of her Own, Greek News Agenda, 4 May. Link
2024 Alexandra Broutzaki, Katerina Papazissi Opens the Doors to Her Own Dancefloor, Interview in Pontiki Art, 14 May. Link
2023 Panos Giannikopoulos and Aggeliki Tzortzakaki, A Rave Down Below. Exhibition catalog.
2023 Artist presentation in Create! Magazine. Link
2022 Christoforos Marinos, OPANDA Exhibiion catalog, 2022.
2022 Stefanos Tsitsopoulos Katerina Papazissi Painting Flesh and Blood, Athens Voice. Link
2019 Lina Tsikouta. Lands of Creation. Exhibition catalog.
2019 Faye Zika, Versions of the Garden. Exhibition catalog.
2015 Featured Artist in Chronos mag, no 21. Link
2014 Artist Presentation in Tetraktys Mag. Online art review.
2013 Artist Presentation in ‘LandEscapes’. Online Art review. 1st issue, February. Link
2010 Kelly Kiki, Artists’ Studios in Public View. Article in Vmagazino.
2008 4 Graduates of the ASFA Class of 2006. Interview in Eleftheros Typos.
2006 Maria Tsilimidou, Disposable Gallery. Interview in Ependitis newspaper.
Sponsorships/Awards
2026 Aegean Airlines - Sponsorship for travel to the US for the Golden Foundation Residency.
2021 Lefranc&Bourgeois - Sponsorship of products for upcoming exhibition
2021 Hahnemühle - Sponsorship of products for upcoming exhibition
Teaching
2020 Facilitator, Life Drawing, Sektor30.
2011-2013 Evening workshops for adults in the Moraitis School, Athens.
2015-2017 Evening workshops for adults in Kentro-Apokentro cultural space, Athens.