Theodora Kotsi-Felici (GR, NL)
I was born in Athens and lived for 21 years near by Piraeus. For the past 24 years I have been traveling and lived in various countries. The Netherlands has always been my base. I am currently living and working in the amazing city of Rotterdam. I have deliberately placed my studio at the port of Sluisjesdijk, in order to stare at the enormous cranes and ships and smell the sea.
I make site-specific installations, community based projects and public art. By doing interventions in (public) spaces i indirectly questions how democratic these spaces are. My work is influenced by my commitment to critical reflections and political and social observations. I am fascinated by creating space and conditions - a catalyst for social action to happen - where I usually invite people to participate and take action. Nature and Human struggles form my inspiration. I do search on compelling moments of structural changes, and how society is therefore affected by them. I collect materials such as flowers, plants, scientific data and others and transforms them into images, smell or sound. The materials or data are gathered from locations which played an important role in the development of a place/process/ phenomenon. Smell has a strong effect on our memory therefore forms a bridge between past and present. My perfumes for example are not what a perfume usually is, a nice exciting scent to make you attractive, they are the repository of the past and present of a certain place but an historical reminder. I see myself more than just a visual artist, but as someone that researches or collects the ingredients for her projects as an investigating sociologist, anthropologist, scientist, curator, historian or even as a grower.
EDUCATION
Trauma Informed Practitioner's Certificate, Trauma Informed Care Centre, The Hague/The Netherland 2023-2024
TCTSY Sensitive Yoga Training 20h, Center for Trauma and Embodiment of the Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts/USA, 2023
Post BA Psychologie Narrative Therapy, Dulwich Center/Australia 2021-2022
Post BA Psychology, Experiential Expertise Resilience, PAO Amsterdam/The Netherlands, 2020-2021
Advanced Program Participation Theater, FORMAAT, Rotterdam/The Netherlands 2018
Basic Program Participation Theater, FORMAAT, Rotterdam/The Netherlands 2017
MS Fine Art AKV St. Joost, Breda/The Netherlands, 2010-2012
BA Fine Art AKV St. Joost Art & Design Academy, s-Hertogenbosch/The Netherlands, 2006-2010
Minor, Moving Image in Public, Breda/The Netherlands, January-April 2008
Minor, Shaping with Image and Sound, Breda/The Netherlands, January-April 2007
Cultural Anthropology Radboud University of Nijmegen/The Netherlands, 2002-2004
BA Graphic design Akto Art & Design Academy, Athens/Greece, 1996-2000
OTHER COURSES
Mentoring with artists Bik and van der Pol, Mondriaan Fund Amsterdam/The Netherlands, April 2015-April 2016
Sound Workshop, October 2015 Dziga, Nijmegen/The Netherlands, April 2015
Masterclass in documentary with artist and director Martijn Veldhoen, Dziga, Nijmegen/The Netherlands, May 2015:
Workshop Interview with light, Dziga, Nijmegen/The Netherlands, February 2015
Masterclasses René Coelho-price, NIMK Amsterdam/The Netherlands, September 2010
AWARDS/GRANTS
Culture Fund awarded grant for the project "Pollution" 2024
Municipality of Rotterdam awarded grant for the project "Pollution" 2023
CBK Rotterdam Praktijkbijdrage awarded grant 2023
Mondriaan Fund, awarded grant ‘Artist's Project’ 2022
Nomination Best animation ASIFA ELLAS 2015/Greece
Mondriaan Fund, awarded grant ‘Jong Talent’ 2015
Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund awarded grant for the project ‘De nieuwe Warmoezenier’ 2014, Gelderland/The Netherlands
Special mention Winner Experimental Animated Movie, 10th ANIMAFEST 2015 Athens/Greece
New Home Price 2011, MIKC Delden, Nederland
Nomination Rene Coelhoprijs 2010(shortlist), NIMK Amsterdam/The Netherlands
RESIDENCIES
Stichting Het Wilde Weten August- September 2023/ February-March 2024
NAU IVA NOW Barcelona/Spain January 2024
EIGHT / το ΟΧΤΩ, Athens/Greece October 2022
College of Art, Lempa/Cyprus February-March 2017
St Columb's Park House, Derry~Londonderry/Northern Ireland October-December 2016
468 Studio, Dublin/Ireland October-December 2013
PUBLICATIONS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INTERVIEWS
2022
Interview " He did not rape my mind, I didn't allow him to do so" @analyzeit.gr/
2021
Catalogue IJsselbiënnale 2021 Devender /The Netherlands
2019
Catalogue Art festival Watou 2019 ‘Niets Bestaat dat niet iets anders aanraakt’, Watou/Belgium
2018
Publication ‘99+1. Vrije kunst in Nijmegen’ Foundation ‘De Oprit’, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
2017
Catalogue ‘SOLIDUS’ Magazine ΦΡΜΚ 9th edition, Athens/Greece
Catalogue ‘Public Art Collection of the municipality of Elefsina Part 2’, Ν.Π.Δ.Δ, Municipality of Elefsina/Greece
2016
SKAI TV(national) Life-Broadcast ‘A message of Solidarity, written with stones’, Athens/Greece
Publication 'Porsche Academie' Marinus Boezem’ Art Centre SBKM/De Vleeshal, Middelburg/The Netherlands
Catalogue 'BLIKveld' MIKC/Perron1, Delden, Nederland
2015
Article ‘Schoffelen en harken’, Newspaper ‘De Nijmegenaar’, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
Article ‘Dziga Toont ‘Oorlog en omgekeerde wereld’, Newspaper ‘De Gerderlander’, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
Catalogue ‘Toen Toener Toenst’ MIKC Productions Delden/The Netherlands
2012
Catalogue 'Acht kunstenaars laten hun visie zien in het programma Hoeskunnig, Streekcultuur versus beeldende kunst’ MIKC Productions Delden/The Netherlands
Article 'De schans van Delden geeft geheimen niet prijs', Newspaper ‘De Twentsche Courant Tubantia’, Hengelo/The Netherlands
Catalogue Masters 2012, AKV St. Joost Academy, Breda/The Netherlands
2011
Catalogue, ‘New Home’, MIKC Productions Delden/The Netherlands
Interview ‘Stories from Elefsina’, Magazine Athinorama, Athens/Greece
Catalogue 'From the start to the beginning', Art Centre Lokaal 01 Antwerp/Belgium
2005
Poetry Collection ‘Een Koude Paradijs’ Stichting Gast, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
Article ‘Een Koude Paradijs’, Newspaper ‘De Gerderlander’, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
OTHER EXPERIENCES
2023
Talk "Trauma and Re-traumatization " BAUMSTRASSE STUDIO Athens/Greece 2023
2021
Talk "The Trauma of rape does not have statute of Limitations, how do we eliminate rape?" Strong me Festival Athens/Greece
2016
Awarded design for ‘Art event 'Hof van HolLandArt', municipality Nijmegen/The Netherlands (the project is realized)
Art Event ‘Hack the Brain 2016’, Waag Society, Amsterdam/The Netherlands
2015
Talk ‘Be Hungry& Get Fed’, Gallery Bart, HONIGCOMPLEX in Nijmegen/The Netherlands
2014
Co-initiator and founder of ‘Prima Hora’ tasks: coordinator of cultural activities Nijmegen/The Netherlands
2011
Guest teacher Art academy AKV St. Joost Academy, ’s-Hertogenbosch/The Netherlands
2010
Initiator and organizer of group exhibition 'Polymeer' in Stok, 's-Hertogenbosch/The Netherlands
2009
Awarded design for the neighborhood Hambakken, 's-Hertogenbosch/The Netherlands (the project is not realized)
2008
Initiator and organizer of a lecture with artist Joost Conijn in art center CBK, 's-Hertogenbosch/The Netherlands
2004 – 2005
Co-initiator of the project ‘Een Koud Paradijs’.The projects consisted of a photography exhibition and poetry book with pictures of undocumented refugees and poems of known Dutch poets including; H.H. Ter Balkt, Guido Hogenbirk, Victor Vroomkoning, Foundation Gast, Nijmegen/The Netherlands
2002-2003
Initiator and organizer of European Future Capital Project. The Goal of the project was to generate publicity for the Roma issues in Romania, The Netherlands and Greece. The project included the publication of an article, a photography exhibition and of a paper calendar that was available in Fair Trade shops in The Netherlands.
My practice has been generously supported by the Mondriaan Fund (NL)
