Dora Rizou was born and raised in Athens. She studied Interior Architecture, Graphic Arts and Painting at the Doxiadis School, as well as ceramics at the YWCA of Athens. Her artistic journey began with illustration and developed through a long creative career in graphic design and the recording industry, where she worked as Art Director at EMI Records and as Artistic Director at Lyra. This experience played a decisive role in shaping her personal visual language. Since 1990, she has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, and her creations are held in private collections. Her most recent solo exhibition took place at the Historical Museum of Hydra. She also founded the Black Duck cultural venue and Black Duck Gallery in Athens. Her artistic philosophy is rooted in the belief that a work of art emerges from an inner necessity and asserts its existence regardless of the reception it receives. She lives and works in Athens.