Papatzanaki Antonia (1960)

She was born in Chania (Crete) in 1960. She studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts under G. Nikolaidis (1981-1986), and the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna (1988-1989, W. Bertoni’s studio). Later, she attended the Pratt Institute in New York on scholarship (Master of Fine Arts, 1997-2000), and was awarded the Certificate of Excellence for Outstanding Merit for her academic performance. In 1990 she presented her first solo exhibition in Greece (Pleiades Gallery, Athens).
Her art includes wall-mounted constructions and installations, mainly with metal and fiberglass, as well as digital prints. The abstract minimalist or geometric structures are combined with biomorphic elements, attributing to her works a conceptual dimension, with references to the connection between technology and nature. The dominant presence of light that her works themselves emit through their transparent materials, determines to a great extent the aesthetic and symbolic function of her compositions.
To date, she has been awarded many times by public and private institutions, both in Greece (State Scholarship Foundation-I.K.Y., Hellenic Foundation for Culture, Ministry of Culture and Sports], and abroad (Alfred Toepfer Stiftung FVS, Hamburg; Gerondelis Foundation, Lynn-MA; Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah-NY, etc.). Some of her public artworks have been installed in various Greek cities. Her luminous sculpture Lighthouse was permanently installed in Athens in 2004 (next to ISAP station ‘Kato Patissia’).
She has presented her work in more than 15 solo exhibitions in Athens, Thessaloniki, Chania, Vienna and New York, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Greece, other European countries and the U.S.A. The Vorres Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete, and several other public and private collections own some of her artworks.
She lives and works in New York and Athens.