Term: March-May 2018
Cypriot artist Penny Monogiou (1989) studied painting with Prof. Jannis Psychopedis at the Academy of Fine Arts in Athens and graduated there in 2012. The following year, the young artist decided to leave Greece and move to Germany. Since then she lives and works in Hamburg. First, Monogiou expanded her professional knowledge by completing a diploma in 3D Art and Animation at the Hamburg Animation School. After graduating she founded the artist collective ‘Compassion’ and started to work as an organizer and curator in the Hamburg gallery ‘Greskewitz-
Kleinert’.
The oeuvre of the artist moves in the field of tension between political appeal, individual suffering and questions of identity. War, illness and characters are addressed by Monogiou in a sensitive and at the same time unmistakable manner. Topic specific, her media varies from painting, sculpture and photography, to installation.
During her two-month stay in Leipzig in spring 2018, Monogiou created an expressive series of portraiture. Inspired by trips to the Dresden Zwinger and influenced by personal experiences with Greek icon painting, the artist creates figures that take up and at the same time break with historical ideals of beauty. A woman in a baroque dress with floral bouquet, a colorful Madonna representation, a fine gentleman in a suit – but their faces are disfigured. Beaded noses, oversized heads and distorted mouths let the recipient pause perplexed and come closer. The vehement search for something familiar, a well-known emotion or an identifiable facial expression remains unsuccessful. The rigid, grotesque faces are as hard to read as the people of today’s society.
Text: Lea Asbrock
Education
2013 – 2014 Animation School Hamburg, Abschluss: Diplom 3D-2D Artist
2007 – 2012 Hochschule für Bildende Künste Athen Griechenland, Abschluss: Bacherlor-Master
2006 – 2007 Cambridge International Examinations, Abschluss: GCE Advanced Level in Art
2005 – 2006 Cambridge International Examinations, Abschluss: GCE Ordinary Level in Art
Professional Experiences
September 2015 – October 2017: Greskewitz-Kleinitz-Galerie, Curator / Director
February 2014: Founder of Compassion Collective
March 2014 – June 2014: Cloud Studios UG, Praktikum im Bereich 2D-3D Artist
October 2013 – April 2014: Otto-Hahn Schule Jenfeld Hamburg, Kursleiterin für Theater und Bühnenbild
October 2013 – April 2014: Schule Fuchsbergredder, Hamburg Kursleiterin für Kunst und Holzwerkstatt
Solo Exhibitions
2019 – Ideale – Beat Pazaar – Limasson, Cyprus
2018 – Ideale – Beat Pazaar – Limasson, Cyprus
2016 – Chimera – Greskewitz-Kleinitz-Galerie – Hamburg, Germany
2011 – Exile – Kaplanon5 Galerie – Athens, Greece
2009 – Mosaic Collective Galerie – Limassol, Cyprus
2007 – Art Cafe 127 – Limassol, Cyprus
Group Exhibitions
2019
Discovery Art Fair Cologne – Cologne, Germany
Water Event mit Yoko Ono, MdbK Leipzig
„Frieze of Parthenon, an artistic proposal“ – Teloglion Foundation of Arts Thessaloniki, Greece
besetzen – Xponart Galerie – Hamburg, Germany
2018
„7“ – Stoart Korai – Athens, Greece
All about art – Bunkerhill Galerie – Hamburg, Germany
Leipzig in Hamburg – Greskewitz Kleinitz Galerie – Hamburg, Germany
All you can’t eat – LIA Spring Group Show Frühjahrsrundgang in der Spinnerei Leipzig, Germany
2017
Reference to Aphrodite – European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017 -Pafos, Cyprus
Kleine Formate – Atelierhaus Breite Strasse – Hamburg, Germany
Keras tis Amaltheias. The art in a grocery – Athens, Greece
Oktana – Purple Squirrel Publications – Athens, Greece
Gallery walks / As a side-bar to Documenta 14 – Athens, Greece
Strange Kiss / Atelierausstellung – Hamburg, Germany
2016
Odysseus Elytis. The poet of the Aegean – Mandoulides Schools -Thessaloniki, Greece
The waiting room / Compassion Collective – ART ATHINA 2016 -Athens, Greece
2015
Compassion on the phenomenology of being ill – Kunstquartier Bethanien – Berlin, Germany
Affordable Art – Papenhuder57 Gallery – Hamburg, Germany
George Vizyinos. Towards the town – Mandoulides Schools -Instabul, Turkey
Tropical Island – Kunstverein Süptitzvilla e.V. – Hamburg, Germany
2014
Gotham city Ateliers in der Speicherstadt – Hamburg, Germany
Anasistasi – En tipois Cultural Center – Nicosia, Cyprus
2013
Re-Culture – Argiris Market – Patra,Greece
Art en Capital, Grand Palais – Paris, France
2012
LAVARA – Michalis Kakoyiannis Foundation – Athens, Greece
Graduates of Athens School of Fine Arts – Athens, Greece
Memories and Realities – Florina Museum of Modern Art -Florina, Greece
Art-walks – Municipal Gallery of Lamia – Lamia, Greece
12 young artists – Melina Merkouri Foundation – Athens, Greece
2011
Sommer of young artists – Kaplanon5 Gallery – Athens, Greece
On the poetry of Odysseus Elytis – House of Cyprus – Athens, Greece
Stop and Stations – Treno sto Rouf – Athens, Greece
Diaries of the fire – House of Cyprus – Athens, Greece
6th Student Biennale – MIET – Athens, Greece
2010
Exile – House of Cyprus – Athens, Greece
2006
Cambridge International Examinations – Spyros Kyprianou Foundation Limassol, Cyprus
2005
Cambridge International Examinations – American Academy, Limassol, Cyprus
Awards
2012 Skulptur für die permanente Ausstellung von Eleftherios Venizelos Flughafen in Athen Griechenland
2011 1.Preis für die Student Biennale Griechenlands
2006 1.Preis für den Schulen europäische Wettbewerb
Cooperations
2009 Illustrationen für das CD von Manos Xydous ”The Stars will always be far
2008 Illustrationen für das CD von Dimitris Karras ”The Best„
Curatorial and cooperative Work
2017
“Space and the Architecture of Compassion“ Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, Athen (Konzept – Kuratorin, zusammen mit Prof. Solon Xenopoulos in Zusammenarbeit mit nationalen und internationalen Universitäten der Architektur);
“Man and the City” Greskewitz-Kleinitz-Galerie, Hamburg (Konzept und Kuratorin);
“Collective Identity” Greskewitz-Kleinitz-Galerie, Hamburg (Konzept und Kuratorin)
2016
“Collective Identity” Greskewitz-Kleinitz-Galerie, Hamburg (Konzept und Kuratorin);
Art Athina (Konzept – Kuratorin zusammen mit Dr. Efi Kyprianidou in Zusammenarbeit mit der Kuratorin von Platforms Art Athina)
2015
“Compassion on the phenomenology of being ill” – Kunstquartier Bethanien (Konzept und Kuratorin – Organisation)
