BIO
SOFI KORI (stage name of Sofia Kouloukouri) is a visual artist, performer, writer and art historian. Through endurance and narration, her work deals with literal and affective weights as a feminine heritage originating in the education of girls, myth and religious doctrines. Her performances are storytelling solos and/or workout performances. The first category relies on the idea that women’s stories have often been omitted from history and even when they were passed on, they were badly written, women that care to correct how their stories are told, are the ones rewriting them.
Concerning her physical performances, they are a hybrid of contemporary danse and strength training, emerging from a sense that being a woman is a constant workout. A standard component of female performativity is the divide between training to be fitter, stronger, readier and training to manage repressed feelings such as anger. In KORI’s repetitive movement protocols female bodies, train to become natural forces, measuring themselves to the landscape, synchronizing to the elements or having their movement harvested as a sustainable energy source. Within a feminist ecology Kouloukouri explores what it means to be solid as a girl and woman today. Besides her artworks, performances and texts, KORI has also been co-curating, with A.Seilopoulos the itinerant film program Pleasure & Disobedience.
KORI holds a ΒΑ and an MA in cinema studies (AUTH, Thessaloniki), an MA in Visual Arts (Edhea, Sierre), and an MA in Art History (UNIGE, Genève). Her academic research revolves around women, art, sex and agency. Her writings have been published by Nero Editions, Miami Books and The Art Newspaper. Her first book ''Artistes Femmes et Travail du Sexe'' was published by L'Harmattan in March 2025. KORI's work has been presented among others at : Roman Road London, Théâtre du Grütli Genève, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Buenos Aires (MACBA), Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne (MCBA), Palais de Rumine Lausanne, MIR festival, Kunsthal Charlottenborg Copenhague, Roma Diffusa, Phenomenon Studios Reykjavik, ArtAthina, Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigacion de Altamira. In 2024 KORI was part of ORGANISMO, TBA21 Academy’s pilot research program about art in critical applied ecologies. Unfolding over an entire year, the second volet of the project happened in collaboration with Spanish artist group Dorothy Michaels leading to further research in Cantabria. In 2025 KORI was selected by the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST) for a residency at the Cité internationale des Arts in Paris.
CV
PERFORMANCE
TODAVIA MAS OSCURO, Troglosoma collab with Dorothy Michaels, TBA21 Academy, Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigacion de Altamira, Santillana del Mar, 9 November 2024
ELECTRIC WRATH, performance, Roma Diffusa, edition 3, Rome, 21 October 2024
POSES2SING, performance, Head2Head, Phenomenon Studios, Reykjavik, 11 october 2024
POSES2SING, performance, ArtAthina, 22 september 2024
RE-PAIRS, Wilhelmina’s Art Gallery, Hydra, 1 July 2024
ELECTRIC WRATH, M54 Athens (15-18/3/2024)
RE-PAIRS, stoa42, Athens, 6/1, 10/2/2024
ELECTRIC WRATH, MIR Festival, M54 Athens (29 & 30/11/2023)
THE ELIXIR, We get what we give, Callirrhoë, Athens (24/11/2023)
THE ELIXIR, WiPS, Athens, (11/10/2023)
EVE SYNDROME, Roman Road gallery, London (16, 21/6/2023)
NOT ENOUGH ROPE, stand up, Revolution is not a one time event - open mic, Locus Athens, Athens (6/5/2023)
EVE SYNDROME, Gogogo, Le Grütli - centre de production et de diffusion des Arts Vivants, Genève (12,14/1/2023)
ELECTRIC WRATH, Movaq, Buenos Aires, (7/12/2022)
ELECTRIC WRATH, MACBA, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Buenos Aires, (21/11/2022)
CONTRENATURE, Ammophila 3: There was land here before, Elafonisos (19/8/22)
APNÈE, performing with Loreto Martinez Troncoso, Stoa 42, Athens (19/3/22)
EVE SYNDROME, Répertoire(s), Espace 3353, Genève (23/2/22)
WOMEN TELLING THE FUTURE V.03, FRAGMENTS & ABSENCES, Grand Palais Bern, Bern (09/10/21)
WOMEN TELLING THE FUTURE V.02, EXOTIC?, Palais de Rumine, Lausanne (02/10/20)
Poids Libres, FIBNL, Gare Cornavin, Genève (15/5/19)
WOMEN TELLING THE FUTURE, Espace Saules d'out, Genève (15/6/19),
EVE SYNDROME, Studio ADC, Theatre du Grütli, Genève (14/12/19)
OTHER
‘Why this now ?’, video dance, projet de Lucie Eidenbenz, Flux Laboratory, Geneva, June 2023
‘Why this now ?’, video dance, projet de Lucie Eidenbenz, Theatre Forum Meyrin, novembre 2021
Pedro Cazas, Nostalghia Theater Co, Kastro Lamias (19&20/7)
SOLO SHOWS
RE-PAIRS, stoa42, Athens, 6/1-10/2/24
ALL ABOUT EVE, Roman Road gallery, London, 15/6-26/2/24
PLANS FOR A RESURRECTION, 1-3 rue Lissignol, Genève, 5/2-5/4/21
Le Workout, Milkshake Agency, Genève, 5/4-10/6/19
GROUP SHOWS
The Kiosk, stoa42, Athens, 30 May-30 June 2025
ON-GOING, Halle Nord, Geneva, 17 October - 9 November 2024
Magic Mirror, Wilhelmina’s art gallery, Mandraki, Hydra, 1 August -1 September/2024
Dead Darlings, auction, Athens, 15-17 Dec 2023
ENCORE + DE TOI, Ferme Asile, Sion, 2021
WILLIWOO, Espace eeeeh, Nyon, 2020
AMMOPHILA, Dimotiko sxoleio, Elafonisos, Aut 2021
BIG - 3E BIENNALE INTERSTELLAIRE DES ESPACES D'ART DE GENEVE, 2019
POUR ELLE, Manoir de Martigny, Martigny, 2018
Appetizers, Forum Wallis XII, Schloss Leuk, Leuk, 2018
Palp Festival, Manoir de Martigny, Martigny, 2017
Vide Ateliers, Centre culturel de la Vidondée, Riddes, 2016
Lunatic Park, Malévoz Quartier Culturel et La Manufacture des Rêves, Monthey, 2016
Platforms Project - Art Athina, Milkshake Agency booth, Faliron Pavilion, Athens, 2016
Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, 2016
Accrochage Vaud, mcb-a, Lausanne, 2016
NODE, EXPOSITION ECAV, Pôle Sud, Lausanne, 2016
Tous droits réservés tous torts inversés, Usego, Sierre, 2015
In einer anderen Welt, Triennale du Valais, Turtmann, 2014
Le corps en révolte, Hotel Belvedere du Rayon Vert, Cerbère, 2014
Against Lethe, mail art, 5tH ICTV, Nicosia, 2013
Cheap art, A.Antonopoulou Gallery, Athens, 2010
Demo#1, Dynamo Project Space, Thessaloniki, 2009
Looks at couples, Thessaloniki International Film Festival/Psychoanalytic Society of Northern Greece, Thessaloniki, 2009
Zm Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2005
PUBLICATIONS/ CATALOGUES
Bougada, Editions Dolce, Athens, dec 2023
Catalogue 3353, archive 2018-2023, Geneve nov 2023
AMMOPHILA, Dimotiko sxoleio, Elafonisos, Aug 2022
BAZ’ART, festival baz’art, Geneve, 2020
POUR ELLE, catalogue, Le Manoir de la ville de Martigny, 2020
Lunatic park, catalogue, Malévoz Quartier Culturel, La manufacture des rêves, 2018
Art Athina, catalogue, 2016
CURATORIAL
Pleasure & Disobedience, co-curated with Alexios Seilopoulos, film days, 1-3 November 2024, Cypher, Athens
WRITING
ARTISTES FEMMES ET TRAVAIL DU SEXE, Editions L'Harmattan, March 2025
TEFLON, Athens, dec 2023
ARTISTS' SURVIVAL KIT, Centre d’Art Contemporain, Nero Editions, July 2023
Boucle/Loop #01, revue de poesie contemporaine, Miami books & Bahnhofstrasse imprimerie, Geneve, March 2023
JOURNALISM
Genève Active
Inside Story
The Art Newspaper
CONFERENCES/ TALKS/ ARTIST TALKS
Institut Confucius de l’Université de Genève (UNIGE), 29/9/2016 - conference ''Confrontension''
Faculté de Beaux-Arts de l’Université de la Plata (UNLP), 15/11/22 - artist talk
École des Beaux-Arts de Thessalonique (Auth), 5/5/25 -artist talk & presentation of ''Artistes Femmes et Travail du Sexe''
Institut Français d’Athènes (IFG), 13/6/25 - en conversation avec Hélène Frappat, festival de Philosophie ''Pouvoir, Agir''
RESIDENCIES/ RESEARCH
ORGANISMO, TBA21, Research program, Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza, Madrid, (20/1 - 15/7/24, 16/7 - 14/11/24)
LA IRA DE DIOS, Buenos Aires (1/10/22 -12/12/22)
Théâtre Forum Meyrin, with 'Why this now?' by Lucie Eidenbenz (21—25.03)
La Becque, La Tour-de-Peiltz (22—31.08)
Constellations. ISR x HEAD, ISR, Haute École d’Art et de Design, Arts@CERN Instituto Svizzero di Roma, (18—23.07),
PRIX/BOURSE
BOURSE D'AIDE A LA CREATION, VILLE DE GENEVE, 2022
EDUCATION
2017-2022
Maîtrise Universitaire es lettres Histoire de l’Art
UNIGE - Université de Genève
2013-2015
MA
EDHEA - Ecole de design et haute école d'art, Sierre
2005-2022
BA/MA
Faculty of Cinema, Departement of Fine Arts, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Expertise on Artistic Direction, Costumes and Scenography