Penny Monogiou
Winterhude
Painting, Installation
About Penny Monogiou
The face as a mirror to the soul, that is the central theme in Penny Monogiou’s painting. Her abstracted, mask-like portraits revolve around the universal search for one’s own identity while calling into question classic ideals of beauty. Partly inspired by the old masters, yet on the other hand taken directly from our own time, she confronts us with faces that we cannot entirely read, thus compelling us even more to reflect upon ourselves.
In contrast, her installations are politically charged with social criticism. Shaped by her own background, having grown up on the divided island of Cyprus, Penny Monogiou’s installations are commentary on world affairs. With an intercultural perspective, often referencing her Greek roots and her study of classical icon painting, Penny Monogiou creates imagery that bridges the gap between aesthetics and activism while combining sarcasm with seriousness.
Penny Monogiou (*1989) studied painting and icon painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 2007 to 2012. She moved to Hamburg in 2013. While she was still a student in Athens, the artist received the Student Biennale prize and one of her sculptures was also selected to become a permanent installation at the Athens airport. In recent years, her works have been shown at numerous exhibitions, both at home and abroad, including in Cyprus, Athens, Thessaloniki, Leipzig, Berlin, and Hamburg.