Artist Bio

Dora Kentarchou was born in Corfu, Greece. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belli Arti) in Naples, Italy from the year 1989 to 1993, where she graduated with honors. She is a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts. Today she lives and works in Corfu.

The artist has participated in 21 exhibitions in Greece and abroad.

See the exhibitions catalogue

Introductory note

Dora Kentarchou possessed an artistic eye from a very young age. She studied at the Corfu School of Art throughout her childhood and teenage years. At the same time, she took painting lessons with her father, Theofilos Kentarchos, a watercolorist well-known for his watercolors. At 19, she applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, Italy, where she was accepted. In 1993, she graduated with distinction and participated in a group exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts along with her fellow students.

Both European and Greek artistic trends of the 1980s appear to have influenced her creative process. Painting and sculpture began to break the previously established boundaries of art, moving beyond portraiture and taking on abstract forms.

The “Arte Povera” movement in Italy, as well as Modernism in Greece, seem to have inspired Dora Kentarchou to move beyond two-dimensional, conventional boundaries.

In Three Dimensions 2001 — 2008
4 works

This is how her first works, “In Three Dimensions”, were born—pieces we might describe as three-dimensional houses. She uses oxidized sheet metal, which conveys a sense of the old and worn—a material that records the passage of time. Through these varied constructions, she seeks to present the human experience, as seen in works like “Without Voice” and “Light”. The suppression and the broader inability to express ourselves—imposed by regimes, groups, or individuals within the social fabric—are clearly evident in “Without Voice.” In contrast, with “Light,” the artist offers a breath of hope in a time when everything seems bleak.

Ethereal cities 2001 — 2012
9 works

As the years passed, the three-dimensional houses came to life on canvas and were transformed into “Ethereal cities” The acrylic paints on canvas create a semi-transparent effect, especially when penetrated by light. They give us the impression that we can see inside each house—perhaps even inside each person living within. The works transport us to different seasons—autumn, spring, summer—with the airy element always present.

Τin canvases 1999 — 2019
9 works

In the section “Tin Canvases”, the artist merges her past and present inspiration, this time combining the material of tin with the recurring theme of houses. Now darker in tone, they emerge from a hidden memory—one that still battles between forces of good and evil, darkness and light.

Wandering cities 2014 — 2018
7 works

In “Wandering cities”, she also introduces the element of shape—particularly the spiral. A symbol of renewal, the journey here is more spiritual; the houses gain space and begin to move away from one another.

Courtyards of childhood memories 2022 — 2025
13 works

However, in the final section, “Courtyards of childhood memories”, we see that the houses almost disappear. The element of Mediterranean nature takes center stage—with bitter orange trees in the courtyards, olive trees, and roosters gazing at the blue horizon.

In this way, the artist completes her themes, leaving behind a fresh sense of searching, hope, and light, which have accompanied her from the beginning until today.

— Mary Mpalatsinou