IOANNA NEOFYTOU

Ioanna Neofytou was born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1986 and is a multidimensional artist, educator and researcher based in Athens. Since 2023, she holds a doctorate in the theory and practice of visual arts from Aix-Marseille University, with the subject of her thesis: “The image of war and the war of images: contemporary art and documentary in the era of necropolitics”. She is a graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts (BA, MA, 2011) and Paris 8 University, with a master's degree in Contemporary Art and New Media (MA, 2016).

Her works have been presented in more than thirty collective exhibitions internationally, such as at the Archives Nationales in Paris (2015), the 64ème Salon de Montrouge (2019) and in Eleusis — European Capital of Culture (2023). Her short documentaries have been screened at festivals across Europe, winning awards including the Audience Award at the 20th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (2018) and a Special Mention at the 5th Peloponnese International Documentary Festival (2019).

Her artistic practice and research focus on conflicts and their meta-narratives, emphasizing the importance of the image as a tool for storytelling and as an object of instrumental use in times of conflict. With a long-standing interest in issues of geopolitics, ideology, historiography, national identity and contemporary warfare, her artistic work has taken various forms, including documentaries, short films, video installations, performances and sculptures.

She has worked as an art teacher in Greece, with an interest in participatory art and often collaborates with professionals from various fields, maintaining her interest in the active participation of individuals in the creative process. Her interest in alternative pedagogy is reflected in her collaborative actions and educational projects, redefining the value of politics, participation and collectivity, with the aim of recapturing public space.