Bio
Elissavet Sfyri, born in Athens in 1994, is a Greek artist currently based in New York with an extraordinary ability artist status. She completed her MA in Sculpture at the prestigious Royal College of Art in 2019, after graduating from the Fine Art program at Goldsmiths University in London. Sfyri held her solo show exhibition "AGREEKULTURE" at Flux Laboratory (FLUXUM Foundation). Her work has been showcased in numerous international group exhibitions, including the Centre d’Art Contemporain - MAMCO in Geneva, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Taipei in Taiwan, the Kommagene Biennial in Adiyaman in Turkey, and the CICA Museum in South Korea. Her talent was recognized with the ARTWORKS Fellows prize in 2020 by the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Foundation. Furthermore, in August 2024, she took part at the group show “A Day of Overnight” at the Kingston Pop Museum upstate New York, with a piece from her brand new series of oil paintings “The dreamers”. In January 2025, she will be taking part at the Prototype Festival in New York, an annual showcase of cutting-edge opera and music theater, blending experimental storytelling with innovative performance and sound design in collaboration with Art Bath that has featured over 200 world-class artists, including Grammy-winning musicians, opera singers, downtown art legends, renowned visual artists, and star dancers.In addition to her accomplishments in the art world, Sfyri has made a name for herself in the film industry. Her film, "ZABETA," co-created with Sofia Sfyri, won the Fischer 1st Prize at the 23rd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in 2021. It was also screened at the Athens International Film Festival and was nominated for the Film Academy Awards: IRIS Hellenic Film Awards. Sfyri has shared her expertise through lectures at Postgraduate programs such as at the Pratt Institute of New York (2024) and the University of West Attica for the MSc in Interior Architecture: Sustainable and Social Design (2022). She also served as a Jury Design Critic for the Postgraduates Degree Show of the Pratt Institute in New York at the Postgraduate Program; Design Open Studio (2024) and as a Sculptor Jury member for the London International Exhibition at The Royal Society of Medicine in Mayfair in London (2020). Elissavet has also collaborated with dancers and video makers by making art costumes that have been officially selected and awarded at some of the best Video Dance Festivals worldwide such us; 2nd prize for “Chained” Masdanza Dance Festival, Canary Islands - Las Palmas, Official Selection of “Sink” at Lift off Global Network in United Kingdom, at the LAMB Festival in Portugal and at the TJLAND, VIDEODANZA - SCREENDANCE in Mexico, as well as her costumes have been featured in festivals in Italy, Cyprus, Egypt, Tijuana and Greece.
Recently, she curated and participated as an artist in the IhouseXhibition, the largest art exhibition of the International House in New York. This exhibition included 75 artworks from the archive of the International House from the 1940s to today and artists including herself in residence at the Ihouse. This project was a collaboration with architect and Harvard and New York Institute of Technology graduate Vincent Melito, the current Vice President of Facilities & Site Operations at the International House. This is set to become an annual event. Sfyri has also won the Ihouse fellowship as an artist fellow in residence for 2024 and 2025. She has also collaborated with people from various fields such as Wael H. Habbal (Obama Scholar at Columbia University), Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida (Columbia University - Program Director of Conflict Resolution and Negotiation), and Joan Camilo Lopez (Youth, Peace, and Security
Program Manager, Columbia University - Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, City College, CUNY) for a series of conversations between youth leaders and activists in Athens. These conversations address pressing social problems in communities to exchange knowledge, tools, methods, and experiences.
Elissavet has participated in workshops, including the ULYSSES Seawards Workshop by Onassis, in collaboration with The Syrian and Greek Youth Forum and European Odyssey. She has organized, curated, produced, and participated as an artist in the Saline Art Residency, which features permanent public sculptures in Ermioni and Porto Heli, Greece. Her work has supported artists who have gone on to receive recognition from numerous international foundations, including the Somerset House (London) , the Cannes Film Festival, the New Museum (New York), Lenbachhaus (Munich), Chisenhale Gallery (London), Whitechapel Gallery (London), The Breeder Gallery (Athens), the BFI (London), the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Athens International Film Festival, Benaki Museum (Athens), NEON Greece (Athens), Stegi - the Onassis Foundation (Athens), DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art (Athens), and the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Foundation (Athens).
Education
• Master in Sculpture, Royal College of Art, London, UK (2017-2019)
• Bachelor in Fine Arts, Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK (2013-2016)
• Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Kingston University of London, London, UK (2012-2013) • Campion School of Athens, Greece (2007-2012)
• Bachelor in Fine Arts, Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK (2013-2016)
• Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Kingston University of London, London, UK (2012-2013) • Campion School of Athens, Greece (2007-2012)
Selected Exhibitions/Shows/Juries/Curatorial/Talks
Fellowship & Residency, at the International House, New York, USA (2024-2025)
Artist Talk at The Pratt Institute, New York, USA (2024)
Jury Art Critic at The Pratt Institute for the Graduates Degree Show of Design Open Studio, New York, USA (2024)
Artist & Curator: IhouseXhibition, New York, USA (2024)
“A Day of Overnight”, Group Show at Kingston Pop Museum, New York (2024)
Costume Design for “Sink”, International Forum of Performance Art Drama, Greece (2024)
Night of Nations, Art Performance, International House, New York, USA (2024)
Art & Curation “Club 155”, International House, New York, USA (2024)
Salon Nights, Art Performance, International House, New York, USA (2024)
Lift off Global Network, Costume Design for “Sink”, United Kingdom (2024)
Solo Show: Agreekulture, Flux Laboratory - FLUXUM Foundation Athens, Greece (2023)
Jury Art Critic for Sculpture for the Art London International Exhibition at The Royal Society of Medicine, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom (2020)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection Breaking Walls Festival, Cairo, Egypt (2024)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection Tjland Fivq, Tijuana (2024)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection for LAMB Festival, Portugal (2023)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection for TJLAND, VIDEODANZA - SCREENDANCE, Mexico (2024)
2nd Prize & Participation, Costume Design for “Chained”, Masdanza Dance Festival, Canary Islands - Las Palmas
(2023)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection for Movimentale Festival, Italy (2024)
Costume Design for “Sink”, Official Selection for Moving Images Videodance Festival, Cyprus (2023)
WOMA fest: Women in Arts Festival Athens, Greece (2023)
Athens College: Set and Costume design for the theatre play, Athens, Greece (2020, 2023)
Prague Quadrennial, Prague, Czech Republic (2023)
Night of Nations: International House, New York, USA (2023)
Paf Festival, Greece (2023)
Arc for Dance Festival, Greece (2022)
Kommagene Biennial, Adiyaman, Turkey (2022)
Solo Show: The Hawk Shank Redemption, Athens, Greece (2022)
Chania Film Festival, Crete, Greece (2022)
Performative Encounters, Hyle - Athens, Greece (2021)
ZABETA, 23rd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Thessaloniki, Greece (2021)
Nychtes Premieras Athens International Film Festival, Athens, Greece (2021)
Athens Video Dance Project, Athens, Greece (2022)
Dance Days Chania, Greece (2022)
1821, ΟΠΤΙΚΗ ΜΙΑΣ ΕΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ, War Museum of Athens, Athens, Greece (2021)
Saline Art Residency, Public Sculptures, Porto Cheli & Ermioni, Greece (2018)
To Camp, Centre d’Art Contemporain (MAMCO), Geneva, Switzerland (2018)
Sisyphus Ver. 20.18, National Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan (2018)
New Media Art, CICA Museum, Seoul, South Korea (2018)
UR: Human Presence, Aures Sensorium, London, United Kingdom (2018)
MA Sculpture Show, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom (2019)
WIP show, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom (2018)
Practicing, HD Kepler, Athens, Greece (2018)
Eye’s walk festival, Syros, Greece (2017)
Χοροί Χωρεί μας, MIR festival, Athens, Greece (2018)
_ U _ _ S, London (2016); Goldsmiths Fine Art Show, London, United Kingdom (2016)
Prizes/Awards/Fellowships
Fellowship at the International House, New York (2024-2025)
ARTWORKS Fellows prize by Stavros Niarchos Cultural Foundation (2020)
Masdanza Dance Festival, Canary Islands - Las Palmas, Second Prize for “Chained” (2023)
IRIS Hellenic Film Academy Awards Nomination (2022)
Fischer 1st audience prize: Film under 50min, Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (2021)
Kingston University of London Foundation Diploma Art Prize for “Most physical hardship undertaken in the name of
art” (2013)
International Baccalaureate Art Prize for Campion British School of Athens (2012)
Primary and Secondary Education Student Painting Competition in East Attica (2005)
Olympic Games Athens by Alpha Bank, Panhellenic Primary and Secondary Education Student Painting
Competition (2004)
Student Chess Championship of Peloponnese (2002)
Publications/Press
Aesthetica Magazine issue April/May 2021
MUBI
Royal College of Art Imagination and Brave Acts:
Arts & Humanities Work-in-progress 2018
https://www.rca.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/imagination-and-brave-acts-school-arts- humanities-work-progress-show-2018/