Jannis Varelas

Jannis Varelas (b. 1977, Athens) lives and works in Athens. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and received an MFA from the Royal College of Art, London. His paintings reflect on the human condition through the reinvention and metamorphosis of the self. He stages his models and reconstructs interior-like spaces in his studio, using objects and costumes as indicators of narrative and identity.

The body and its psychogeography are central, revealing the subconscious, desires, and impulses. He has had solo presentations at Galerie Krinzinger (2022, 2016, 2012, 2007), The Breeder (2022, 2021, 2015, 2011, 2009), Galerie Forsblom (2020, 2018, 2017), Benaki Museum (2019), The Journal Gallery (2019), and Onassis Stegi (2017, 2016). He has also participated in group exhibitions at Albertina Modern (2024), Space K Seoul (2020), MAAT Museum (2018), 21er Haus (2017, 2014), DESTE Foundation (2015), Palais de Tokyo (2013, 2012), and New Museum (2010).

In 2024, Varelas collaborated with the Onassis Foundation to present three new works (“Face,” “Snooze,” and “The Path”) in the atrium spaces of the Onassis Hospital in Athens; conceived for daily encounter, the installation engages patients, visitors, and medical staff, bringing contemporary art into a space of care and humanity.