Rania Bellou was born in 1982 in Thessaloniki, Greece. She lives and works in London. She is a multi-media artist, whose work questions the boundaries between reality and illusion, real and unreal using fragments from the passage of time. Rania Bellou is represented by Kalfayan Galleries, Athens – Thessaloniki.

EDUCATION   

2005-2006

MA Scenography, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London.

2006                            

Exchange Program (3 months), Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, Zurich.

2000-2005

Painting, School of Fine Arts, Thessaloniki.

2002-2003

Set design (atelier of A.Vettas), School of Fine Arts, Thessaloniki, Greece.

2000-2002

Photography (atelier of G.Katsaggelos, Director of the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum), University of Fine Arts, Thessaloniki.

2000-2002

Printmaking (atelier of E.Giannadakis), University of Fine Arts, Thessaloniki.

AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS

2018

Visual Arts Fellows 2018, Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

2014

Finalist, Young Mediterranean Artistic Scene Prize, Paris, France.

2008

1^st Prize, Jannis and Zoe Spyropoulos Foundation, Athens, Greece.

GRANTS and FELLOWSHIPS

2020

Research Funding by Greek the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

2018

1st Stavros Niarchos Foundation Artist Fellowship Program.

2012-2013

Scholarship of the Onassis Foundation.

2000-2002

Scholarship of the State Scholarship Foundation. (I.K.Y.)

2003-2004

Scholarship of the State Scholarship Foundation. (I.K.Y.)

RECENT PROJECT:

2021

 ‘The City of Invisible Women’: inter-disciplinary art project as part of the institution "All of Greece One Culture" of the Ministry of Culture and Sports; Archaeological space of Heptapyrgion, Thessaloniki.

Artist workshop in collaboration with Irida – Women Center in Thessaloniki,  as part of the project ‘The City of invisible Women’.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2018

“Remembering Revisited”, Ps.u.Art Therapy Gallery, Athens.

“Immortal Love or Ode to the Past’” Kalfayan Galleries, Athens.

2015

“the story, like all stories is incomplete” (curator: Vali Mahlouji), Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York.

2014

“One Story at a Time”, Action Field Kodra 2014: “I Need A Hero”, Thessaloniki.

 “Forty Floating Moons”, Kalfayan Galleries, Athens.

2012

“Between I and Me”, Europe House, London.

2011

“Memory for Forgetfulness”, Kalfayan Galleries, Athens.

2009

“Living in a Cerebral Fortress” (curator: Dorothea Konteletzidou), Kalfayan Galleries, Thessaloniki.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)

2019

“The Manual of the Perfect Traveller” (curated by Maria Dialektaki), Snehta, Athens.

ARTWORKS Visual Arts Fellows 2018, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens, Greece. 23 – 30 June 2019 | Summer Nostos Festival 2019

“Artists are the New Athletes”, The Edit Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus.

Artist’s Workshop ‘Drawing History Through Artifacts’, AnnexM, Megaron- Athens Concert Hall, Greece.

2018

“After Babel” (curator Anna Kafetsi), AnnexM, Megaron, Greece.

“Inland Athens” (curator Nikos Vatopoulos), Mets Art Center, Athens, Greece.

2017

Group show (curated by Orestis Andreadakis). Parallel programme of the 58^th Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Beijing Biennale: Group show organized by the State Museum of Contemporary Art of Thessaloniki.

 ‘Bookwatcher’ (curated Ronit Eden and Ton Offerman), 24h public screenings, various locations, Amsterdam.

Retrospective - Action Field Kodra 2017, Thessaloniki

“The Garden Sees” (Curated by Anna Kafetsi), Megaron - Athens Concert Hall.

“Corfu in Colour” (curated by Sozita Goudouna), Ionian Parliament, Corfu island.

The Human Condition". Session II. "Human and the Others: Love, friendship, suspicion, aversion", Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia.

NEW ACQUISITIONS: National Bank of Greece. Venue: Old building of the Athens Stock Market, Athens.

“Good Painting” (urated by Yasmina reggad), IVDE gallery, Dubai.

2016

“ART BEATS ΙΙΙ: The art of disease.The disease of art”, organized by Onassis Scholars’ Association, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, Athens.

“Typography as an act of art” (curated by Maria Tsantsanoglou and Syrago Tsiara), State Museum of Contemporary Art (Moni Lazariston), Thessaloniki.

 “Massage the History: Historical testimonies and artistic practice” (curated by Curator: Panos Giannikopoulos), Contemporary Greek Art Institute, Athens.

Erotimatiko? (group show of the finalists of the Young Mediterranean Artistic Scene Prize), organized by HYAM, Artcurial, Paris.

2014

Anatallaxima, Mytilini, Greece.

Re-Culture III (group show), Patra, Greece.

“Body Memory” (curated by Syrago Tsiara), Contemporary Art Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.

2013

“Afresh. A new generation of Greek artists”, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece.

Aegeanale 2013, Kivotos Art Projects, Mykonos island, Greece.

2012

“Inconclusive Analysis”, III Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Moscow.

2011

"British Perception" (Curated by Javier Caderón), National School of Arts (UNAM), Mexico City.

“London Screen” (Curated by Javier Caderón), Ex-Teresa Museum, Mexico City.

2010

“Shape and Material”, the Vyner Studio, London.

LuccaDigitaPhotoFest, Lucca, Italy.

Action Field KODRA 10 (10^th Visual Arts Festival), Thessaloniki.

"Qui Vive?" MMoMA projects, 2nd Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (curators:  Sergey Erkov, Daria Kamyshnikova), Moscow (catalogue).

“Oasis and A-oasis”, (curators:  Dimitris Mihalaros and Panayiotis Famelis), Skironeio Museum Polychronopoulos, Megara, Greece.

Art Athina: Exhibition with works by the Winners of the Jannis and Zoe Spyropoulos Foundation Award, Athens. (Rania Bellou: 1^st prize/2008)

2009

Active Resistance to Propaganda, Bloomsbury Ballroom, Forbidden London

Organised by Vivienne Westwood, London, U.K.

Acava Open studios, Unit 110-111 Mare Street, London.

Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts (co-coordinators: Ann Christopher, Eileen Cooper and Will Alsop), London (catalogue).

“1001+1 Praxis” (curator: Dorothea Konteletzidou), French Institute, 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, Greek State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (catalogue).

“Siteshow @ Little Venice” (curators: John O'Hora and Jung Eun Yoo), London.

“Kiss Me Miss Me Presents 15 Minute Factory”, The Rug Factory, London.

2008

“Treble R”, The Rug Factory, London.

“Animate: Space Live”, The Others Gallery, London.

2006

Festival of Contemporary Performance, Camden People’s Theatre, London.

Action Field Kodra-06, Exhibition: “Rooms to Let”, Cultural organization of the Municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki (catalogue).

Scenoworks 2006, Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London.

Festival der Künste im Toni-Areal, Zurich. 

Video Art Festival Miden 2006, Kalamata, Greece.

“Co-existence”, Gallery Zina Athanasiadou, Thessaloniki.

Workshops Center of Contemporary Art Thessaloniki, (catalogue).

Rondgenplatz – ein portrait Zurich.

“Pixel Dance Festival” (organizers: In Flux Art Group), Army Field Kodra, Thessaloniki.

2005

Onufri 2005, (curator: Eleni Laper), National Gallery Tirana, Albania (catalogue).

“Graduates 2003-2005”, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (catalogue).

Action Field Kodra-05, Exhibition: “Rooms to Let”, Cultural organization of the Municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki (catalogue).

space [ ], (curator: Christos Savvidis), Mark Goethe Gallery (catalogue with essays by Dr. Sania Pappa, Maria Kenanidou).

RESIDENCIES

2014

Action Field Kodra, Thessaloniki.

2012

Royal College of Art Sculpture residency at studio 60 : RCA, with Richard Wentworth.

2004

Falu Konstgrafiska Verkstad/The Print Workshop, Falun, Sweden.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2013  - 2015

Film & video tutor, Urban Academy, Kids Company, London, UK.