Alcalay Artemis (1957)

She was born in Athens in 1957. She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Yannis Moralis and Dimitris Mytaras, and scenic design under Vassilis Vassiliadis (1976-1981). She continued her studies at the University of New York (M.A. in Studio Art: 1983-1985) under Angiolla Churchill, Gerry Pryor, Livio Seguso, Steve Madoff and Idelle Weber. Moreover, she was taught weaving at YWCA Greece (1998-2002), and photography under Laura Dodson (Praxis) and Kamilo Nollas ( Exile Room NGO). She presented her first solo exhibition in 1982 in Athens, as part of the 8th Meeting of Young Artists organized by Ora Gallery.
The main characteristic of her work is the wide range of materials and technical media, from painting and sculpture to installations, set design, weaving, photography and digital art (video-animation). She creates unexpected combinations of concepts, techniques and materials, always in a poetic and symbolic vein, equally alluding to personal and historical memories or experiences.
In the center of her themes lies the simple, schematized motif of home, as the archetype of human habitation. Houses are painted or constructed with diverse materials, and are either exhibited as on-wall artworks and installations, or transferred outdoors as parts of her photographic work.
Her digital work embraces the concept of weaving, which she transfers in the digital realm. Based on patterns of folk weaving art, she features the existing connections among different techniques, such as thread weaving and digital image analysis, between the real and the virtual experience.
Part of her artistic activity is devoted to stage and costume design, mostly in collaboration with contemporary dance groups. She also designs handmade carpets.
She has presented solo exhibitions and has participated in many group ones in Greece and abroad (U.S.A., Germany, Italy, Poland). She participated in Art Athina in 2010 and 2011.
Her artworks are included in the collections of the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, the Jewish Museum of Greece, the Jewish Museum of Frankfurt am Main, the American College of Greece, the Central Museum of Textiles (Łódź, Poland), and the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation “V. Papantoniou” (Nafplion, Greece).