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Bio

Vania Stefou is a contemporary artist whose work has captivated audiences around the world for over 30 years. A self-taught Greek artist, Stefou’s passion for painting and sculpture was evident from a young age, drawing inspiration from her environment and family.
In 2009, Stefou’s talents were recognized on an international level when she was selected to represent Greece in renowned art institutions. This prompted her move to Manhattan, where she continued to make a name for herself in the art world. In 2011, she was honored with an honorary degree and professorship by the International Art Academy, solidifying her place as a respected figure in the art community.
Stefou’s work has been featured in numerous individual and group exhibitions across Asia, the USA, and Europe, garnering critical acclaim and admiration from art enthusiasts. Her pieces can be found in museums, visual art centers, and prestigious private collections, further establishing her as a prominent figure in contemporary art.
Most recently, Stefou has become synonymous with the “Vs Athens art gallery” where her work is displayed in a permanent exhibition. Her innovative approach to art, blending painting, sculpture, and photography, has set her apart as a truly unique and talented artist in the modern art scene. Stefou’s legacy continues to grow, leaving a lasting impact on the world of contemporary art.

International Distinctions

– 2022 Grecce
Gallery opening – painting and sculpture – Athens

– 2020 Shanghai
The Global Art Awards – Sculpture – finalist – artwork ‘’Trireme”

– 2017 Dubai
The Global Art Awards – Painting -finalist- artwork “Quantum Event”

– 2014 New York
Art Takes Square ” – painting- digital show- by Chashama org

– 2014 New York
See Me- digital photography – long island group show

– 2012 New York
Art Takes Square ” – painting- digital show- by Chashama org

– 2011 Los Angeles
Lucie Foundation – photography reviews – Fresh Look – Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA)

– 2010 Las Vegas
International Contemporary Masters – Represented Greece in painting – Southern Nevada Museum Of Fine Art (SNMFA)

– 2010 New York
Dorian Gray Gallery – painting- NYC

– 2010 Athens
Eugenides Foundation (Planetarium) – “Telescopes of the Soul” – painting- artwork “Quantum Event” ”

– 2010 New York
Agora Gallery – painting – “Odyssey Within”

– 2010 New York
IPA international photography awards – photography – ‘’Frozen bikes”

– 2009 New York
24th International Fine Arts Competition – Painting – Agora gallery – “Perfect machine”

 

ART BOOKS:

-2011 California
International dictionary of artist’s – World Wide Art Books

– 2011 New York
International contemporary artists Vol III – ICA publication

-2009 New York
International contemporary artists Vol – ICA publications

– 2009 California
International Contemporary Masters – World Wide Art Books

– 2009 Athens
Modern art – Midiaplan publications

 

 

Artist Statement

Artist StatementMy work is an ongoing presentation of our relationship with the universe which stems from an unceasing search for a deeper understanding of our existence as a divine perfect machine.Upon our removal from limitation and attachment to one idea, higher cosmic truths and higher universal laws release unique vibrations. Then, the information is decoded and made visible as works of Art. This exchange of information leads to an endless journey of message implementation.With conviction that the cultural space should not be bound by static perceptions I created vs Athens art gallery.My aim is for it to be a meeting point and exchange of information through speech and action on a physical, artistic and spiritual level.Parallel and non-contradictory artists who will be invited, not only from the visual field, but from all forms of Art will aim to bridge the gap between the viewer and the exhibit, opening the way for personal communication and higher calculation.

Critical Analyses

Critical analysis by Agora Gallery’s group curators on her series entitled “perfect machine”

 

Vania Stefou represents her country at the 24th “The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition” in New York. N.Y

The dynamic of being human serves as Vania Stefou’s primary inspiration, especially the physical complexity of the human body and its systems. The way we are wired internally, and what that wiring yields in our world – this is all part 
of the artistic landscape Vania explores in her art. Her work process involves her exploration of the vivid interactions between varying types of paint colors and textures, as well as using different types of paint, including acrylic and metallic. At times the composition of her paintings is deliberately symmetrical, employing the repetition of forms across her canvas as a means of highlighting variations in tone and shading. She employs a mix of abstract expressionism and real-life elements inspired by ocean life, earth-bound life and outer space to embrace a holistic view of the universe we live in and its infinite possibilities. 


Vania Stefou makes the complicated infrastructure of the mind instantly tangible. Through painting, she translates the ineffable language of thoughts into pulsating visual rhythms. She marries organic, aquatic, and aeronautic imagery with Abstract Expressionism, letting colors move in and out of each other, and allowing acrylic and metallic paints to collide and mingle. Stefou’s layered tapestries of emotion are at once psychologically compelling and soothing.

 

Manhattan 2009

 

 

 

 

Κριτική ανάλυση από την ομάδα των επιμελητών της Agora Gallery για τη σειρά των έργων της με τίτλο “perfect machine”

 

Η Βάνια Στέφου εκπροσωπεί τη χώρα της στον 24ο «The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition» στο Μανχάτταν, Νέα Υόρκη.

Η δυναμική της ανθρώπινης ύπαρξης και η φυσική πολυπλοκότητα του ανθρώπινου σώματος και των συστημάτων του, λειτουργεί ως η κύρια πηγή έμπνευσης της Βάνιας Στέφου.

Ο τρόπος με τον οποίο συνδεόμαστε εσωτερικά και το τι αποφέρει αυτη η καλωδίωση στον κόσμο μας, είναι μέρος του καλλιτεχνικού τοπίου που εξερευνά με την τέχνη της.

Tο έργο της περιλαμβανει τη μελέτη των ζωντανών αλληλεπιδράσεων μεταξύ των διάφορων τύπων χρωμάτων και υφών, καθώς και την χρήση διαφορετικών τρόπων βαφής. Κατά καιρούς η σύνθεση των έργων της είναι εσκεμμένα συμμετρική, χρησιμοποιώντας την επανάληψη των μορφών σε όλη την επιφάνεια του καμβά της, ως μέσο για την ανάδειξη των παραλλαγών στον τόνο και τη σκίαση. Χρησιμοποιεί ένα συνδυασμό Αφηρημένου Εξπρεσιονισμού και στοιχείων της πραγματικής ζωής, εμπνευσμένα από τη ζωή των ωκεανών, τη γη και το διάστημα για να αγκαλιάσει μια ολιστική άποψη των άπειρων δυνατοτήτων του σύμπαντος που όλοι είμαστε μέρος.

Η Βανια Στέφου κάνει την περίπλοκη υποδομή του μυαλού άμεσα απτή. Μέσα απο την ζωγραφική, μεταφράζει την άρρητη γλώσσα των σκέψεων σε παλλόμενους οπτικούς ρυθμούς, παντρεύει οργανικές, υδάτινες και αεροναυτικές εικόνες με τον Αφηρημένο Εξπρεσιονισμό, αφήνοντας τα χρώματα να κινούνται μέσα και έξω από το άλλο επιτρέποντας ακρυλικά και μεταλλικά χρώματα να συγκρούονται και να σμίγουν. Οι πολυεπίπεδες ταπετσαρίες συναισθημάτων της Στέφου είναι ταυτόχρονα ψυχολογικά συναρπαστικές και χαλαρωτικές.

 

Μανχάτταν 2009