Moraiti Eleni (1953)

Born in Athens in 1953, she studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Y. Moralis and D. Mytaras (1972 – 1977). She attended also workshops on stage design (V. Vassiliadis; 1975-1977), pottery (G. Georgiou; 1977-1979), typography & book art (G. Papadakis; 1979-1982) and printmaking (Th. Exarchopoulos; 1988). She continued with postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Athens, presenting a thesis on: “Illustrating School Textbooks; Aesthetic, Pedagogical and Psychological Conditions and Aspects” (2008).
She presented her first solo exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Nees Morfes Gallery in Athens (1982). The references to expressionism are pronounced in her early work. Her painting is anthropocentric and gives emphasis to the relations among the depicted figures. The bodies are prominent, in a raw state and with no tendency towards idealisation. The space of the painting becomes a place of reflection on matters of existence, human relationships and experiences. Her works often feature archetypal or mythical figures, symbols of nature or allusions to divinity. She uses various materials on the canvas (ink, acrylic, chalk…) as well as collage and mixed media to add a three-dimensional aspect to her works.
She worked as a teacher in various sectors and grades of public and private education. She has taught at the Athens School of Fine Arts, the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens, the Goulandris-Horn Foundation, the art workshop of Chalkida, the teachers’ training seminars of the Melina Programme and in schools in America. She has illustrated many books, including school textbooks, has undertaken stage design projects, has published texts and has taken part in conferences on art and education.
She has presented her work in solo and group exhibitions. Her participations include “Memories, Reformations, Quests” (National Gallery, 1985), “Kunst Europa, 1991”, Kunsthalle Berlin (1992), “Arte Fiera, 94” (Bologna, 1994) and “The myth of woman in contemporary Greek painting, 1930-2000” at the V & E Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Contemporary Art (Andros, 2001).