CHRISTINA-SYLVIA SIMANTIRA
Christina-Sylvia Simantira is a Greek-German visual artist who lives and works in Athens. Her practice explores the relationship between material, process and perception, while questioning established habits, structures of thought, identity, boundaries and hierarchies, often through a subtle use of self-irony and humor.
Her work begins with the line and the material itself. Working with markers, fabrics, ready-made objects, second-hand clothes and furniture, she develops an intuitive and open-ended process in which one layer unfolds upon another without a predetermined direction. Through repetition, association and gesture, fantastic landscapes, unfamiliar places and unexpected forms gradually emerge within the frame. This process of making becomes a space of discovery, where material and gesture continuously negotiate the boundaries of meaning.
Simantira works across painting, sculpture and installation, creating in-situ installations, sculptural works and large-scale paintings on long pieces of fabric. Her practice is particularly interested in the ways in which identities and social roles are constructed and reproduced. She explores questions of gender, boundaries and hierarchies, starting from the formation of the female role as the primary provider of food, and transforms everyday materials and familiar objects in order to reconsider their habitual meanings and functions.
She studied German Language and Literature at the University of Athens and Visual Arts at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where she developed her practice in the studio of Professor A. Antonopoulos. In 2015 she studied for one semester at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee through an Erasmus scholarship. In February 2025, she completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Athens School of Fine Arts under the supervision of Professor Kostis Velonis.
Since completing her undergraduate studies in 2016, Simantira has collaborated with and worked for institutions including the Goethe-Institut in Athens and Munich, the German School of Athens and the University of Athens. She has also participated in DAAD-supported workshops and numerous exhibitions, projects and group shows in Greece and Germany, including presentations at Kappatos Gallery, Platforms Project, the Municipal Gallery of Piraeus and the National Museum, the Municipal Gallery of the Cyclades and the Museum of the City of Athens.
Her work has received recognition through awards from the Rosa Luxemburg Institute in Athens and the Athenian Centre for Kidney Disease. She has also created two murals at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens.
SHOWS/PROJECTS
2026
Overtouristification
Argo-residency (Exarchia). Collaboration project with visual artist Avery Staton.
Elongated Acts
Amphicar Studio (Galatsi). Curator: K. Nikolaou
Sky/Sea/Sun: It's like a song
Art and Concert Hall Melina Merkouri. Hydra port. Curator: E. Michalarou
Thread
Art studio ssg. Solo show. Athens. Curator: A. Malakasioti.
blaek
Momo Athens. Curator: T.Kavvada
2025
Demolitions
Synoikismos of Chalandri/Athens. Curators: P. Daramaras, I. Papadopoulou, D. Halatsis.
Inhabiting
Amphicar-art-studio in Galatsi. Curator: V.Tsirou.
Circusing around: somber, pompous, grandiose
Thesis presantation of the Master in Fine Arts at the Athens School of Fine Arts of Athens. Thesis supervisors: K.Velonis, Z.Xagoraris, T.Symeonidis.
Intermedial Dialogues
Colloquium at the Municipal Gallery of Athens. Cooperation between the MfA of the Athens School of Fine Arts and the University of Athens.
2024
Purple Letter
(Back to Athens / International Art Meeting). Megaron Isaia (Athens). Curator: E.-M. Nanouri.
Colors and Minds (Art workshop)
A cooperation between “Talks&Crafts”, Epapsy and the MfA of the Athens School of Fine Arts. National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST). Organisator: M.Tsironi.
Turning points
Thalatta Art Gallery. (Athens). Curator: E.-M. Nanouri.
2023
University of Athens_mural (Bauhaus)
Mural in the auditorium of the Department for German language and Literature in the University of Athens. A cooperation with K.Koumarianou and Prof. K.Karakassi.
University of Athens_mural (Music)
Mural in front of the office of the provost of the Philosophy Department of the University of Athens. A cooperation with the professors of the Department for Music-Studies.
"Roi" (Return on Investment)
Synoikismos of Chalandri (Athens). Curators: P.Daramaras, I.Papadopoulou, D.Chalatsis.
"Escapism in Athens"
FokiaNou Art Space. Curators: P.Voulgaris, M. Cox.
2022
"The women of the revolution"
Athens City Museum: Curators: D. Bersi, A. Koutsolampropoulos, G. Mastrogiannakis, Dr. St. Kavallierakis.
"Collage Remix"
FokiaNou Art Space. Curators: Mary Cox, Panagiotis Voulgaris.
Biennale of Venice_workshop
“Dreams have no Titles”.
Sponsored by Erasmus Plus. A cooperation between the German School of Athens, the German School of Milano and the Casa degli Artisti (Milano). Organization: C.S. Simantira, J. Koslowski, C.Enzmann.
2021
"Night in Athens".
"The shape of the water"
Herakleidon Museum (Athens). Organized by the A’ Studio of the Athens School of Fine Arts Curator: Nikos Podias.
Exhibition and competition about chronic kidney disease.
Athens School of Fine Arts. Awarded by Nefroiatriki. Curators: Aggelos Antnopoulos, Dida Papalexandrou.
"Rubik's Cube"
Athens School of Fine Arts / New Library. Curator: Jenny Tsoumpri (tidal flow).
"The Castro"
FokiaNou Art Space. Curation: Panagiotis Voulgaris and Mary Cox.
Eco-Fest 2021
(exhibition of students and graduates of the Athens School of Fine Arts) Plateia Nerou (Kallithea).
Curator: Angelos Antonopoulos. Organisation: Ntinta Papalexandrou.
"1821, the perspective of a revolution".
Digital exhibition via GR Collectors and in person at the Athens War Museum. Curator: Elena Gatsa.
"Aliki eco Project"
Platforms-project 2021. Curator: Jenny Tsoumpri (tidal flow).
"Soil and water"
Exhibition in the frame of the festival “Little Paris in Athens. In the ceramic studio of Metaxourgio. Curator: E.Nanouri.
2020
"Eco-Philosophy".
In the public park of New Smyrni. Curator: Jenny Tsoumpri (tidal flow).
"Happy Accidents reloaded"
Phoenix Gallery Athens.
"The Ring"
(Kappatos Rooms 2020). Kappatos Gallery. Curator: Eirini Nanouri
2019
"Ring VII. ΧΑΝΙaRT."
Cultural Centre of Chania. Curator: Ioannis Archontakis.
"The road of nature"
(exhibition about breastfeeding). Cooperation between the A’ Studio of the Athens School of Fine
Arts and The Institute of Children’s Health. Showroom Nikos Kessanlis.
Curators: Aggelos Antonopoulos, Penny Gkeka.
Exhibition for the relocation of the Piraeus Railway Museum
Cooperation between the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Greek Railway (trainose).
Exhibition for the relocation of the Piraeus Railway Museum
Cooperation between the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Greek Railway (trainose).
"Rosa's new clothes".
Platforms Project 2019. In the Foyer of the Athens School of Fine Arts. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
Exhibition of the Graduates of the Athens School of Fine Arts, 2014-2017.
In the Showroom, Nikos Kessanlis. Curator: Katerina Tseliou.
“Rosa’s new clothes”.
Ikastikos Kiklos ΔΛ-Gallery. Exhibition, calendar creation and 1st prize at the competition. Cooperation between the Studio A’ of the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Rosa Luxemburg Institute. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
2018
"Highlight and crisis of a revolution, under the light of colours".
Exhibition in the frame of the festival “Little Paris in Athens 2018 – May ’68, 50 years later”.
At the showroom of the theatre “Vima Aggelon” in Omonia. Curator: Lia Koutelieri
"Complexity"
FokiaNou Art Space. Curators: Mary Cox, Panagiotis Voulgaris.
Group-project "WEDO-GIVING" in the frame of the “Platform Projects 2018”. In the Library of the Athens School of Fine Arts. Curator: Maira Stefou.
"Young artists get inspired by the Exit".
Trikoupio Institute, Mesolongi. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos. Organisation: Maria Ferentinou.
2017
"Find refuge in Art".
Exhibition of the Greek Open University in Technostasio. Curator: Elli Veliou.
"CODE RAIL ART 2017"
In the facilities of Greek Railway (trainose).
Cooperation between the Greek railway and the Athens School of Fine Arts.
"Tidal Flow Relocated"
In the Cyclades Municipal Art Gallery. Curator: Jenny Tsoumpri (tidal flow).
"Tidal Flow Revisited"
In the Piraeus Municipal Art Gallery. Curator: Jenny Tsoumpri (tidal flow).
"16 graduates of...2016"
In the Agkathi-Kartalos Gallery. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
"Barter/antipragmatismos"
In the Eos Gallery in Victoria.
2016
"The tsakonian traditions in the applied arts"
in the Tsikalioti-towel in Leonidio. Curator: Marievi Mastoraki.
"Human trafficking"
In the frame of the festival “break the chain” in the Athens-Technopolis.
Thesis exhibition in the showroom Nikos Kessanlis in the Athens School of Fine Arts.
2015
"archive art"
In the Historical Archive of the Cultural Centre of Piraeus-Bank. Cooperation between the Piraeus-Bank and the Athens School of Fine Arts. "A9" in the Showroom “The Loft”. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
Exhibition of the students of the Studio A' of the Athens School of fine Arts
at the Art Gallery Gregoriadi. Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
Exhibition of students of the Athens School of Fine Arts
at the Cultural Centre Athinais in cooperation with the Schientific Mastological Institute “Emeis”.
2013
"Art for Amnesty"
Exhibition of the Amnesty International for the human rights at “CAMP! Contemporary Art Meeting Point”.
"Survival Kit".
Exhibition and performance at “Rationaltheater” and “Lothringer Laden” in Munich and in “Empros-Theatre” in Athens. A cooperation between the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Munich Academy of Fine Arts supported by DAAD.
"Is it possible in a different way?"
In Studio 112 in Exarchia in the frame of the cooperation between the Artist E.Akyla and the students of the Studio A’ of the Athens School of Fine Arts.
2012
Exhibition of students of the Athens School of Fine Arts
in the Showroom of the Moraitis-School with the purpose to support young artists and the Institute for children with cancer “Elpida”.
Exhibition of the students of the studio A' of the Athens School of Fine Arts
in the frame of the happenings of the municipality Aktiou-Vonitsas.
Curator: Aggelos Antonopoulos.
