Anna Gkioti

Painter | Greece

Anna Gkioti is a painter and illustrator. She was born in Thessaloniki in 1977, studied Law at the Democritus University of Thrace, and pursued postgraduate studies in Public Law. She works as a lawyer in Thessaloniki, where she maintains her own office. Additionally, she is active in the visual arts. In this context, she has designed covers for CDs by X Music Productions, illustrated the initials for the fairy tale “The Fairy Pianist” by Dimitris Philokostas, published by Grammata, and designed the cover for the short story collection “Dreamwatch” by Vasilis Karadai, published by Nefeli. She has exhibited her artistic work in three solo exhibitions in Thessaloniki and participated in selected group exhibitions both within and outside Greece. Her works are part of private collections. Anna Gkioti collaborates with ARC – Art Revisited Collective since March 2018.

Statement

A subtle line, the starting point, where ink and marker bring to life a visual perspective of contemporary lifestyle. A diary-observation of everyday life, the metropolis, solitude, time, the sense of confinement-captivity, the subconscious. A monochrome universe of painterly disorder, brimming with scattered impressions and emotions, framed moments, recognizable objects, comic book images, and a lost childhood that seems to be the only means of escape.

AT A GLANCE

Genre: Painting with markers and pens
Medium: Drawing and painting with inks on paper
Style: Surrealism
Themes: Narrative
Workshop: Thessaloniki, Greece
Associations: –
Price Range: €500-1200
International Scale:
EMERGING | HIGH-POTENTIAL | MID-CAREER | ESTABLISHED

RECENT ARTWORKS

CAREER LANDMARKS

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Nowhere to go, curated by Marianna Rossiadou, Myrό Gallery, Thessaloniki 2022

Universe of Ink, Partizan, Thessaloniki, 2010. 

Painting Disorder, art-café bar “P”, Athens, 2009.

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INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS

4th Art Thessaloniki International Art Fair, Exhibition Booth of Chili Art Gallery, curated by Paris Kapralos, Thessaloniki 2019.

World Art Expo, California, US, 2009.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
(selection)

New Symbols 3, curated by Paris Kapralos & Jason Kairofylas, organized by ARC -Art Revisited Collective, Luminous Eye Gallery, Athens 2024 

Transitions & Passages, annual exhibition of members & friends of ARC – Art Revisited Collective, Luminous Eye Gallery, Athens 2024

Ink on Paper 8: The Writings of Art, Luminous Eye Gallery, Athens 2023

Steps & Journeys, annual exhibition of ARC -Art Revisited Collective, Chili Art Gallery, Athens 2023

Terrain Vague, conception and curation by Paris Kapralos, organized by ARTgrID, Luminous Eye, Athens 2023

Contemporary Art Creators, auction exhibition of contemporary art, Myrό Gallery, conception & curation by Paris Kapralos, Auction by Myrό Antiques House, Thessaloniki 2022

Utopia, conception & curation by Paris Kapralos, Chili Art Gallery, Athens 2022

Crossings, Myrό Gallery, conception & curation by Paris Kapralos, Thessaloniki 2022

The Attic Bazaart, The Attic Gallery, conceived & organized by Paris Kapralos, curated by Dr. Sasha Chaitow, Corfu 2021

..

Ink on Paper, conceived and curated by Paris Kapralos, Chili Art Gallery, Athens 2021 

Art in Babel, curated by Kalianthe Vogdopoulou, organized by ARC – Art Revisited Collective, Chalkos Gallery, Thessaloniki, February 2019

Man, Symbol & Myth, exhibition of ARC – Art Revisited Collective members and friends, curated by Paris Kapralos, My Art Box, Athens, February 2019

Ink on Paper, curated by Paris Kapralos, Myrό Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2013

Ten Proposals, curated by Sonia Kotidi, Romanou 7 Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2011

Our Athens, Fringe Festival, Technopolis in Gazi, Athens, 2009

Study in Color, Booze Cooperativa, Athens, 2008

Within Self, ARC – Art Revisited Collective website / Digital Exhibitions Section, conceived & curated by Paris Kapralos, Digital Exhibition 2021

Chili X-mas Bazaart 2019, Chili Art Gallery, conceived & organized by Paris Kapralos, curated by Valentini Mavrodoglou, Athens 2019

PROJECTS

“The Lobby Project,” organized by ARC – Art Revisited Collective, curated by Paris Kapralos, 1st Arts & Crafts Festival – Capsis, Thessaloniki, December 2018.

“U-topia / Human is th meter of all things “, art project exhibition by ARC – Art Revisited Collective, conceived and curated by Paris Kapralos, 3rd Art Thessaloniki International Fair, Thessaloniki, Greece, November 2018

“The Puzzle Project,” curated by Paris Kapralos, Myrό Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2016.

ARTWORKS

CRITICAL APPROACH

The multidimensional psychological world of humans is externalized, colliding with the modern, one-dimensional way of life, and takes shape through imaginative compositions in Anna Gioti’s works. In an unceasing sequence of lines, the artist manages to capture thoughts, emotions, ideas, memories, fears, desires, dreams, and needs. A seemingly anarchic ensemble of designs on paper that, upon closer inspection, gains coherence, meaning, and wholeness.

The shapes and forms that emerge possess a character reminiscent of children’s drawings. In reality, they are not childish, but rather personify direct images from our environment and the daily life we experience, along with deeper images stored in the mind and allowed to ‘grow.’ The viewer can discern multiple levels – rarely does a single, specific idea develop. A conglomeration of images predominates, harmoniously and associatively interwoven, so that one literally sees a story unfolding before them. Like a web of thoughts – not sterile images – nothing develops in isolation; everything is connected to something else, everything leads to something else, or is the result of others – just as it occurs within the mind: nothing is pure.

Using the technique of black ink and markers on white paper, Gioti infuses her works with exceptional detail and precision. This element, combined with the imagination stemming from her creations, can elevate the viewer’s curiosity and interest. The image that emerges is the result of an ongoing connection and composition of lines that complement each other, develop upon one another, evolve alongside one another, and ultimately transform into something else – all of this occurring within parallel and intersecting dimensions.

Notably, the entire surface of the paper is covered, and the images appear to extend beyond or originate from its surface: as if the artist aims to focus attention on pivotal points, emotions, objects that emerge from the chaos of the mind; perhaps because they are familiar, perhaps because they have marked someone’s childhood and life’s journey, perhaps because they are connected to something deeper, or even with their own existence and purpose in life.

Essentially, what the viewer confronts could be unique moments from thoughts, dreams, desires, inscribed in the subconscious. Perhaps Gioti’s work constitutes a form of surrealism, a conclusion that could be drawn from the way images connect – chaotic and associative; from the difficulty in distinguishing what portrays reality and what is fantastical; from the ambiguity of space and the collaboration of the internal with the external. Ultimately, the viewer is called to discover what lies within the image, guided by the lines-thoughts, perhaps even what connects them, with what they identify, and maybe even ending up in their childhood dreams, which likely lead to an escape from everything that binds them to a daily life that has lost its imagination.

Magda Bizaki
Art Historian

ANNA GKIOTI IN THE MEDIA

[All articles, interviews, etc., featuring the artist in the media section, are located on the websites of the hosting media outlets and are in languages other than English]

ARTICLES ON THE ARTIST

INTERVIEWS