Artist Spotlight - Katerina Stavrou — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

Katerina Stavrou is a contemporary visual artist based in Larnaca, Cyprus. She began her academic journey in 2007, studying Visual Arts at the University of Salford, and later graduated with distinction in Fine Art (BA Hons) from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2011.

The Complexities of Embodiment, 2024, Diptych, mixed media on canvas, 220x100cm

Following her undergraduate studies, she completed a short course in Art Criticism at Central Saint Martins College of Art and participated in a mentoring program at Debut Contemporary Art Platform in London.

Norms Worms, 2024, Ceramic and Soft Sculptures

In 2019, Stavrou earned a Master’s degree in Cultural Policy and Development from the University of Cyprus. She is currently enrolled in the summer 2025 program Curating Contemporary Art and Design: Theory and Practice at the Royal College of Art.

Stavrou has exhibited widely, participating in numerous international art fairs and group exhibitions across the US, UK, UAE, Europe, and Japan. To date, she has held four solo exhibitions. Her work is part of the Cyprus Public Art Collection, several corporate collections, and numerous private collections internationally. She is also the recipient of a public art commission in Cyprus, awarded through a national competition.

Artist Statement

In my art practice, I explore issues and themes that resonate within contemporary society—topics that impact the collective and, by extension, myself. My recent solo exhibition focused on body image in the digital age. I envisioned and rendered the human form as pulsating matter—a sack of clay, endlessly sculpted by time, desire, the gaze of others, and the interplay between biological and social constructs.

My work centres on the human experience in relation to the complexities of the modern world. Each body of work emerges from an extended process of research and reflection, allowing the subject to evolve into visual form with depth and intention.

Layers of Becoming, 2024, 130x170cm, mixed media on canvas

Currently, I am studying the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, exploring its reverence for natural imperfection in contrast to the artificial ideals of perfection promoted by technology. This inquiry shapes my ongoing investigation into what is real, beautiful, and meaningful.

Salt Lake, 2024, 100x100cm, mixed media on canvas

For me, art is an experience, just as life is. Creating is a way of living, of being present, of responding. The two are inseparable – art is life, and life is art.

Website: www.stavrou-katerina.com
Instagram: katestav