Venia Bechrakis was born in Athens in 1974. She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. She won the Onassis Foundation scholarship and continued her studies at the New York University (MFA). She received a Gerondelis Foundation Grand in 2001 and the Jack Goodman Award for Art & Technology, in 2002. Venia Bechrakis has presented her work in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.
SOLO SHOWS: “Off-Targret”, Salon De Bricolage, Athens (2014), “La Grece In&Out: Autoportraits”, Galerie Basia Embiricos, Paris (2010), “Restricted Area”, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens (2010), ”Strange Weathers”, Melenia Art Gallery, Bucharest, Romania (2009), ”Urban Dwellings”, Zina Athanassiadou Gallery, Thessaloniki (2008), “Within-Without”, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens (2006), Real Art Ways, Connecticut, USA, granted by the National Endowment for the Arts (2003).
GROUP SHOWS: “George Seferis” Theocharakis Foundation, Athens (2017), “A certain blue of the sea”, Ionian Parliament, Corfu (2017), “ART ATHINA 2015”, Athens (2015), “Staging the Domestic”, The Hospital Club, London (2014), “Open 15-Flags”, Lido Venice (2012), “Autoportraits Fictions”, Espace Galerie des Femmes, Paris, “OpenXII” Lido Venice (2009), ”Face to Faces”, 2nd Biennial of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (2009), ”Art Athina 2009”, Zina Athanasiadou Gallery & Gallery Basia Embiricos, Athens, “Art Photo Expo Miami”, Zone D and Galerie Basia Embiricos, Miami Art Basel, Miami (2008), “Material Links”, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Shanghai (2008), “The Water”, Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki (2008), “Heterotopias”, 1st Biennial of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki (2007), “The Chronicle of the Absurd“, Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki, Greece (2007), ‘Bodyconnections’, La Maison de la Photographie, Tachkent, Uzbekistan (2007), Art Athina- International Artfair” Athens (2004), “11th Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean” Athens (2003), “MFA Exhibition” Washington Square Galleries, New York (2003), “The Jack Goodman Award Show “ Rosenberg Gallery, New York (2002), ”Deconstruction” Angel Orenanz Foundation for the Arts, New York (2002), a.o.
Venia Bechraki was in the Board of Directors of the National Gallery of Greece -Alternate Member (2008-2012), Member of the Artistic Committee of the National Gallery of Greece (2008-2012), she was the Visual Arts Consultant to the Minister of Culture in Greece (2006-2009), President of the Committee for the Development of Photography Art in Greece which established “Photobiennale” in association with the Museum of Photography of Thessaloniki (2008-2009),” Manager of the Hellenic Museum Shop in the Onassis Cultural Center in New York (2004-2006), Visual Arts Consultant for the Olympic 2004 Cultural Program in the Cultural Department of the City of Athens (2004).
Venia Bechrakis lives and works in Athens.
