Sofia Simaki was born in Chania and she lives and works in Athens and Syros.
She studied with Chronis Botsoglou and George Lappas and she received her BFA in 2001 with a major in painting from the Athens School of Fine Arts. She completed the special education program of the Athens School of Fine Arts in Education Psychology and Art Education. She received her M.F.A. in 2005 from the Athens School of Fine Arts “Digital Forms of Art” Master Program, focusing on video art, the technologically intermediated experience and it’s relation to the hand-made art product.
Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions, in video-art festivals, group exhibitions and other contexts in Greece and abroad. She has also collaborated with artists and theatre and performance groups on stage design, costumes, video installations and production design of theatre plays and performances.
She has over 10 years teaching experience in public schools and has been designing and conducting art lessons and workshops for adults, teenagers and children in independent spaces, galleries, museums and conferences and at the “Irida” private school.
She was one of the three members of D.S.K. artist’s research group.
Since 2015 she has been occasionally hosting exhibitions at her studio and also the Ghostwriter project, a series of dialogues among artists and/or curators and writers. Since November 2024 she works as an Appointed Lecturer at the Department of Product and Systems Design of the Polytechnic School, University of the Aegean.
More:
- 2005 Masters “Digital Arts”, Athens School of Fine Arts.
- 2001 Painting, Athens School of Fine Arts.
EDUCATOR
- 2024 - 2026 / Appointed Lecturer at the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering of the Polytechnic School of the University of the Aegean.
- 2009 - 2026 / Group painting and drawing lessons in the private studio IRIDA.
- 2014 - 2023 / Fine arts teacher in Public Elementary Schools in Athens and Piraeus.
- 2013 - 2015 / Teacher in “Drawing and Painting” courses of I.E.K.- Greek Public Institutes of Vocational Training.
- 2006 - 2008 / Teacher in “Drawing and Painting” courses of I.E.K.- Greek Public Institutes of Vocational Training.
- 2007 - 2009 / Teacher in the Painting Department of “Ornerakis” Applied Arts Centre.
WORKSHOPS
- 2025 / Memory imprints, educational workshops for adults 65+,Vorres Museum, Paiania, Athens.
Palm trees in the light, a week’s workshop for Children at the Athens National Garden, Benaki Museum, The Ghika Gallery, Athens.
A note at present, workshop on the occasion of the 12th conference of Greek College for atherosclerosis cure, Athens, Greece. - 2024 / A watermark, potato prints workshop, in the occasion of the exhibition “Evi at 5 a.m., CASK Gallery, Larissa, Greece.
- 2017 / The sea that divides and connects us, Stegi, Onassis Foundation, Athens.
- 2018 / Walking museum, NEON grants, Calymnos.
- 2016 / Krikos, Communi(cat)ion of crisis, symposium, Institute For Live Arts Research, Nafpaktos.
- 2011 / Krikos, Performance Biennial, First edition "No Future", Green Park, Athens.
SET DESIGN / PERFORMANCE
- 2024 / "Volax, earth and sky and me”, Video-installation Performance by Geo-poetics Group, K.E.T., Athens. / Video installation, performance.
- 2017 / “The evil’s start” by Maria Fakinou, adaptation and direction by Maria Maganari – Prozess Theatre Group, Mihalis Kakoyiannis Foundation, Athens. / Set and costumes design.
- 2014 - 2015 / "Suspense", Performance by Nova Melancholia Theatre Group, AGGELON BHMA Theatre. / Set design, performance.
- 2014 / “Simone”, Performance by Mag Theatre Group, BIOS. / Set design, video installation.
- 2013 / “4.48 a song”, Performance by Mag Theatre Group, Fabrica, Athens. / Set design.
- 2013 / “Museum”, Performance by Mag Theatre Group, BIOS / Romantso. / Set design.
- 2013 / “The Pending” by Tsimaras Tzanatos, Nova Melancholia Theatre Group, Greek National Theatre, “Readings 2013” (curated by Sissy Papathanassiou). / Artistic advisor, set design, video.
- 2011 / “Prima Materia”, Nova Melancholia Theatre Group, 2nd Low Budget Festival, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. / Set design.
- 2011 / “The mission” by Heiner Müller , PROJECTOR Theatre Group, Onassis Cultural Centre. / Set and Costume Design in conjunction with Vasilis Noulas.
CATALOGUES
2010 / Oceangoing vessel, Artist’s book published on occasion of the exhibition Oceangoing Vessel.
PUBLICATIONS
2015 / Wild mansions, Manolis Tsipos, with drawings from 10 artists, Gavriilidis publications.
2007 / The nose, Nikolai Gogol, with 35 artist’s drawings, Korontzi publications, Athens, Greece.
2004 / Et In Iraq Ego, Plethron Publications, Athens, Greece.
2002 / Suburbia – The infinite landscapes of Athens Suburbs, Futura Publications, Athens, Greece.
ARTICLES / TEXTS
2024 / Lima, Kaput Art Magazine, Issue #17.
2013 / Communicating landscapes – a text à propos of Kostas Papanikolaou and Tassos Mantzavinos’ exhibition in Poros island.
Citronne Gallery, Poros, Catalogue Summer 2013.
2012 / Kaput Art Magazine, Issue #13.
Solo exhibitions
2023 / Evi at 5 a.m., CASK Gallery, Larissa.
2021 / Diaskevi, Emmanuil Benaki 146b, Athens.
2018 / Mila, Emmanuil Benaki 146b, Athens.
2010 / Oceangoing vessel, Loraini Alimantiri Gazonrouge, Athens.
2009 / Fountainhead or Buckethead, Remap 2 – Independent projects, under the auspice of Loraini Alimantiri Gazonrouge, Athens.
Group exhibitions
2024
/The Inner side of the wind, Cryssanthopoulos Mansion, Pyrgos Kymis, Evia, curated by: Christoforos Marinos.
/2014-2024 / Ten Years CASK, CASK Gallery, Larissa.
2019
/City in pieces, EIGHT, Critical Institute for Arts and Politics, curated by: Gigi Argyropoulou and Kostas Tzimoulis.
2018
/The moving image, 4th Artists in Residence Program by Eagles Palace, IPSILON, Thessaloniki, curated by Aliki Tsirliagkou.
/A Field Guide To Getting Lost, TAF, the art foundation, curated by Ismene King and Amalia Charikiopoulou.
2017
/Asthenia#5 – Paradise is exactly like where you are only much much better, Grace independent art project and art-residency, curated by Amalia Vekri.
/Mere-exposure effect, Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center, curated by Galini Lazani.
/Cairo Video Festival, Cairo, curated by Gioula Papadopoulou.
/MADATAC 2017, Conde Duque, Madrid, curated by Gioula Papadopoulou.
/Art Athina 2017 / Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center / Booth B1
2016
/TRAMONTANE, Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center, curated by Alexios Papazacharias.
/The symptom projects 7- Identifying Loss, Amfissa and Delphi, Greece, curated by Niki Papaspirou – Kostas Christopoulos.
/Miden screenings in Calamata, Calamata, curated by Gioula Papadopoulou.
/modular modules mode, A Tribute To Ioanna Spiteri – Veropoulou,
Eleftheria Tseliou’s Gallery, curated by Alexios Papazacharias.
/Is it the high mountains? (Festival Miden), FONLAD Festival, Coimbra, Portugal.
2015
/First birds-like a lie, Artist’s studio, Athens.
/The Greek element (Festival Miden), Gallery [.BOX], Video art Project Space, Milan, curated by: Margarita Stavraki.
/Moving Mouths, House of Cyprus, Athens, commissioned and curated by: “a glimpse of”.
/AICA Hellas, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens.
2014
/Conversation Piece – DSK artist’s group, Kallidromiou 68, Athens.
/Receptor-into the sack, Camp – contemporary art meeting point, Athens, curated by: Sofia Simaki and Ioanna Myrka.
/Artist’s cards, Elika Gallery, Athens.
/Videoforma (Festival Miden), Sergey Kuryokhin Center for Modern Art, St. Petersburg, curated by: Gioula Papadopoulou.
2013
/Thrills and chills, Can Christina Androulidaki gallery, Athens, curated by: Christina Androulidaki and Daily lazy.
/Festival miden, Curated by Gioula Papadopoulou and Margarita Stavraki, Kalamata.
/Artist’s cards, Elika Gallery, Athens.
/Fresh fishes, Works of art Lottery, curated by Sofia Simaki, Embros Theatre, Athens.
/From Athens With Spontaneous Love, A spontaneous project initiated by STUDIOvisits, Neukölln, Berlin.
2012
/How we draw a dog, 3 137 Art space, curated by Myrto Xanthopoulou, Athens.
/Art you fashion me?, Guy Laroche shop-Patision, Athens.
2011
/We never closed, MONODROME – 3rd Athens Biennale, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud & XYZ, Athens.
/Genealogical differences, SKOUFA Gallery, Athens.
/The big candy, Greek Film Archive/Film Museum, curated by Maria Komninou – Afroditi Liti, Athens.
2010
/Cabinets of miracles, ZONE D, Zoumboulakis Galleries, curated by Christopher Marinos and Polina Kosmadakis, Athens.
/Artist’s books, Αrt-Athina 2010, curated by Maria Α. Aggeli, Athens.
2008
/Soi Generis – Familyless, TINT Gallery, Thessaloniki.
/Fourteen women and..me, Sarantopoulos Mills, Piraeus.
/Ten years after friends, Sarantopoulos Mills, Piraeus.
2007
/On performance art festival, BIOS Art Space, Athens.
/At the Motel,Ancient Olympia.
2006
/Anonymous Drawings 1,Blutenweiss Raum fur Kunst, Berlin.
/Attitude – video, short & experimental film / photography festival, Center for Contemporary Public Arts ELEMENTI, Cultural Center “Magaza” Bitola, Macedonia.
2005
/Video art, The Factory, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens.
/60 years later – an exhibition in the memory of Second World War, Athens Municipality Center of Arts.
2004
/Et in Iraq Ego, A-station – Athens contemporary art center, Athens.
/Art:ex, Heals Building, London.
2002
/Digi 01, Digital Art Festival, Epi Kolono Theater, Athens.
/Suburbia, The infinite landscapes of Athens Suburbs, A-station – Athens contemporary art center, Athens.
2012 / Fulbright Master’s Degree Scholarship.