Greek-Swedish artist Konstantina Katsela, known as Konka, was born in the countryside of Greece, where she grew up relatively isolated from the rest of the world, but surrounded by the rich cultural heritage of her home country. She was drawn to the arts from a young age, and was deeply inspired by Greek Classic Literature, and the ancient Greek masters, specifically in their handling of the human form.
Art became a part of her life at the age of 2, when she began painting with her markers the white walls of the newly-built family house. Even at such young age, she knew that she would become a great fine artist, as she was “created to create”. As a child, she was read the poems Odyssey and Troy at bedtime, and being sur-rounded by ancient Greek monuments made her fall in love with how the ancient Greek masters depict-ed the human form. Growing up in a rural area made her imagination run wild. She would draw on the walls of her childhood home and proclaim to everyone that she would one day be a great artist.
KonKa is most inspired by the human body, especially the female figure, and considers it to be the best work of art. In her words ‘our bodies are temples, individual temples, and they connect us univer-sally; no matter our age, shape, color, or gender, the body is an exquisite masterpiece. Everything in life and in death leads to the urge to create.’
In her work, KonKa, has used various difficult life experiences to translate human emotions through her own artist language.. She says “I am a fighter who keeps on fighting no matter what!” and that senti-ment is tangible in her work. She has created several series of works, exploring a different experience and lesson learned in each collection. Whether she is depicting a representational floral scene, or a moody and abstract piece, she aptly employs light, shadow, and color in playful and dynamic ways that create a subtle air of mystery and seduction.
The medium she uses is mostly acrylic and oil.
KonKa holds a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Democritus University, a master’s degree in Economics from Umeå University while is a Ph.D. in City Logistics and Urban Freight. She gained her Ph.D. in 2020 from Lund University. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Uni-versity of Gothenburg. KonKa has a total of 12 years of art training next to a professional artist, a sculp-tor, and a professor at Athens' School of Fine Arts. In her CV, she lists a number of solo and group exhibitions from Europe, Canada, USA, and Japan as well as several nominations and awards.