Photo: Marco Argüello | Courtesy of Wallpaper
Paul completed her MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London in 2012. To date, she has had solo exhibitions in institutions across London, New York, Athens, Brussels, including at MO.CO in Montpellier, France (2024); Zeynep Çinili Hamam in Istanbul (2023); blank projects at No.9 Cork Street, London (2022); the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2019 - 2021); Galerie de Sèvres, Paris (2020); The Intermission, Piraeus (2020); La Loge, Brussels (2019); and Spike Island, Bristol (2018). She has participated in several group shows, including; Shades of Daphne at Kasmin, New York (2023), How Long is Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem(2021); Recyclage/Surcyclage at Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (2020); Landlord Colours: On Art, Economy, and Materiality at Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit, USA (2019) and Infinity Has its Limits at SALTS, Basel (2018).
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curriculum vitae
1987 Born in London, UK
Lives and works in Athens, Greece
education
2010-12 MA Sculpture, Royal College of Art, London
2006-09 BA, Sculpture, Camberwell College of Arts
solo exhibitions
2025 When no one else comes, you can summon spirits to keep you company, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2022 Shadows over the bright and darkened lands of the earth, No.9 Cork Street/blank projects, London, UK
2020 Zoë Paul, Galerie de Sèvres, Paris, France
2020 Full Moon Rising, Barronian/Xippas Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2020 Η Ζαργάνα μου, The Intermission, Piraeus, Greece
2019 Shadows over the bright and darkened lands of the earth, The Modern Window, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
2019 Despina, La Loge, Brussels, Belgium
2018 Wild Wolf, Man and Fish, Hospitalfield, Arbroath, Scotland, UK
2018 La Perma Perla Kraal Emporium, Spike Island, Bristol, UK
2018 Drawings, Superdeals, Brussels, Belgium
2017 La Perma Perla Kraal Emporium, The Breeder, Athens, Greece
2016 Solitude and Village, The Breeder, Athens, Greece
2015 Solo, The Breeder Playroom, Athens, Greece
2014 A Goat called Hermès, curated by Michelangelo Corsaro, NAM Projects, Milan, Italy
2014 LaTraCom, Ricou Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2013 Topic, Laure Genillard Gallery, London, UK
2011 Thalasseum, Cole, London, UK
2010 Pass Quietly, Cole, London, UK
group exhibitions
2024 Sèvres x Par Excellence, Par Excellence, New York, USA
2024 Being Mediterranean, MO.CO, Montpellier, France
2023 Under Two Suns, Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir, Turkey
2023 Shades of Daphne, Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
2023 lO, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2022 Epistemologies of the Sun, Rebecca Cahmi Gallery, Athens, Greece
2022 A Midsummer Nights’s Dream, Alkinois, Athens, Greece
2022 The Patriot, O’Flaherty’s, New York, USA
2021 How Long is Now, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
2021 Fragmented Bodies, AlbertzBenda, New York, USA
2021 Voyages Immobiles, La Poste du Louvre, Paris, France
2021 Athens Design Forum, Athens, Greece
2021 Receptacles, Alkinois 6, Athens, Greece
2021 Ceramicarpet, Barronian Xippas, Brussels, Belgium
2021 Recyclage/Surcyclage, Espace Monte Christo, Paris, France
2021 Revenir Pour Voir L’Apres, Le Cyclop, Milly-La-Forêt, France
2021 Human Conditions of Clay, Chapter, Wales, UK
2020 Hydra School Project, Hydra Island, Greece
2020 Recyclage/Surcyclage, Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France
2020 New Saints, Waldberger Wouters, Brussels, Belgium
2019 Landlord Colours: On Art, Economy, and Materiality, Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit, USA
2019 Les Chemins du Sud une Théorie du Mineur, Musée régional d’art contemporain Occitanie / Pyrénées - Méditerranée, Serignan, France
2019 In A Waiting Room, curated by Milovan Farronato, Fiorucci Art Trust, London, UK
2019 Museum of Modern Art and Western Antiquities, Section II Department of Carving and Modelling: Form and Volume, curated by Jens Hoffmann, Christina Guerra Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
2018 Entangled Tales, Rupert, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 Infinity Has its Limits, SALTS, Basel, Switzerland
2018 Textile Abstraction, Casa Riegner, Bogotá, Colombia
2018 Paroikia, Παροκοía, Company Gallery, New York, USA
2018 Marzana, Yours Again, Hot Wheels Projects, Athens, Greece
2017 An incantation fixed at its culminating point, Inês G. Cardoso, Galeria Boavista, Lisbon, Portugal
2017 Occupations of Uninhabited Space, Gianni Manhattan, Vienna, Austria
2017 NP or the Possibility of Life, curated by locus Athens, Athens, Greece
2017 Grasping a concept is mastering the use of a form, curated by Beatriz Ortega, Casa Ecendida, Madrid, Spain
2016 The Equilibrists, organized by New Museum and DESTE Foundation, curated by Gary Carrion-Murayari and Helga Christoffersen with Massimiliano Gioni, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece
2016 Gossip, Les Urbaines, curated by Elise Lammer, Musée Arlaud, Lausanne, Switzerland
2016 Young, Handsome And Unemployed, Komplot, Brussels, Belgium
2016 Overlay, White Rainbow, London, UK
2016 Woven: Words by Women (and one man), Slowtrack, Madrid, Spain
2016 (Not) Every Thread Ties Down / Your Split Ends Are Showing, DKUK, London, UK
2016 Not Really Really, Frédéric de Goldschmidt Collection, Brussels, Belgium
2015 Unorthodox, The Jewish Museum, New York, USA
2015 Alighiero Boetti – Zoë Paul, ATTIC, Brussels, Belgium
2015 Making of M.S, four to seven gallery, Riga, Latvia
2015 Le Cyclop, Le Bois de Pauvres, Milly-La-Foret, France
2014 Zodiacs for the Blinded Nomad, Oval Space, London, UK
2014 Garden, curated by Katerina Kana, Romantzo Cultural Center, Athens
2014 The terrestrial globe is covered with volcanoes, which serve as it's anus (G.Bataille), curated by Michelangelo Corsaro, Athens, Greece
2014 Making Holes in Water, Totàl, Athens, Greece
2014 What the Snow does in the North the Sand does in the South, NUN, Berlin, Germany
2014 DUST, curated by Jo-ey Tang and Thomas Fougeirol, Paris
2014 aCab, PODIUM Oslo and Kunsthalle Athina, curated by Valentinas Klimasauskas, Oslo, Norway and Athens, Greece
2013 Under Icebergs, Kingsgate Gallery, London, UK
2013 Zoë Paul and Hector Castells Matutano, Cité international des Arts, Paris, France
2013 Sensual Abstraction À La Belle Étoile, ReMap4, Athens, Greece
2013 I've Lost My Marbles, curated by Barbara Sirieix, Totàl, Athens, Greece
2012 Heart of Darkness, Gallerie Carrée, Villa Arson, Nice, France
2012 ZARDOZ, MOT International, London, UK
awards + residencies
2019 Residency at Sévres Cité de la Céramique, Manufacture National de Sèvres, France
2018 Commission for SCRIPT launched at the Summer Festival Open Weekend 2018, Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, Scotland
2015 The Eternal Internet Brotherhood 4, by Angelo Plessas, Malaspina Castle, Fosdinovo, Tuscany, Italy
2013 Cité International des Arts, Paris, France
2012 Villa Arson residency, Nice, France
2012 Cowley Manor and Couttes Art Award and Sculpture Exhibition, UK
2011 Cité International des Arts, Paris, France
2009 Future Map '09, University of the Arts London, UK
— selected essays + reviews
2021 Cleary, M. Zoë Paul creates fragranced art for Diptyque exhibition. Wallpaper [online] (published 17 August 2021).
2020 Artist Zoë Paul’s Needle Fish at The Intermission. Athens Insider [online] (published 16 September 2020).
2019 Salts opens with works by Kasia Fudakowski, Maria Lobodaand, Zoë Paul. ArtDaily [online] (published 20 June 2019).
2019 Bier, A. Zoë Paul in Vitamin T: Threads and Textiles in Contemporary Art. Phaidon Press, UK.
2018 Trigg, David. Zoë Paul’s slow flow: From Permaculture to Primitivism. Frieze [online] (published 22 May 2018).
2018 Herman, L. Timely lessons of the village square-How do people come together these days?. Mousse Magazine (published Fall 2018).
2018 Kenig, A. Zoe Paul, l’artiste contemporaine entre perles et pixel. Mixte Magazine (published November).
2018 Lanta Maestrati, A. Plus de vingt-cinq galeries exposent de la céramique. le journal des arts [online] (published October 19th).
2018 Duvaker, B. Zoe Paul at the Breeder Gallery. Le Paradox [online] (published 11 November 2018).
2018 10 top artists at FIAC Paris. Artnet [online] (published 19 October 2018).
2018 Acal, F. Zoe Paul and Faye Wei Wei at Hot Wheels Projects. Artviewer [online] (published 18 February 2018).
2017 Fedorova, A. In Athens Zoe Paul salvages art from the crisis. Garage [online] (published 8 November 2017).
2017 Thorpe, H. Zoë Paul: La Perma-Perla Kraal Emporium. Studio International [online] (published 19 May 2017).
2016 Teasdale, P. Zoe Paul | Critic’s guide: Athens. frieze [online] (published 7 July 2016).
2016 Drake, C. Zoë Paul at The Breeder. ArtForum (published November 2016).
2016 Spirou, K. Reviewing The Humane Futurism of Zoë Paul. EPITOME.XYZ [online].
2016 Bailey, S. The Equilibrist: a report from Greece. Ocula [online] (published 12 July 2016).
2016 Trikas-Pandis, H. Zoe Paul: To Combrays kai to Dogville. CNN Greece [online] (published 6 July 2016).
2016 Boucher, B. Whats really cool | 2016 Armory Show. Artnet [online] (published 4 March 2016).
2015 Boucher, B. The Jewish Museum Seeks the Unorthodox in a Group Show that Aims to Be Unruly. Artnet [online] (published 27 November 2015).
2013 Best of 2013. Athinorama [online].
2013 Riff, J. Cronique Curiosité. Athinorama [online] (published November 2013).
2013 Genillard, L. Zoë Paul. N/V PROJECTS [online] (published April 2013).
2021 Cleary, M. Zoë Paul creates fragranced art for Diptyque exhibition. Wallpaper [online] (published 17 August 2021).
2020 Artist Zoë Paul’s Needle Fish at The Intermission. Athens Insider [online] (published 16 September 2020).
2019 Salts opens with works by Kasia Fudakowski, Maria Lobodaand, Zoë Paul. ArtDaily [online] (published 20 June 2019).
2019 Bier, A. Zoë Paul in Vitamin T: Threads and Textiles in Contemporary Art. Phaidon Press, UK.
2018 Trigg, David. Zoë Paul’s slow flow: From Permaculture to Primitivism. Frieze [online] (published 22 May 2018).
2018 Herman, L. Timely lessons of the village square-How do people come together these days?. Mousse Magazine (published Fall 2018).
2018 Kenig, A. Zoe Paul, l’artiste contemporaine entre perles et pixel. Mixte Magazine (published November).
2018 Lanta Maestrati, A. Plus de vingt-cinq galeries exposent de la céramique. le journal des arts [online] (published October 19th).
2018 Duvaker, B. Zoe Paul at the Breeder Gallery. Le Paradox [online] (published 11 November 2018).
2018 10 top artists at FIAC Paris. Artnet [online] (published 19 October 2018).
2018 Acal, F. Zoe Paul and Faye Wei Wei at Hot Wheels Projects. Artviewer [online] (published 18 February 2018).
2017 Fedorova, A. In Athens Zoe Paul salvages art from the crisis. Garage [online] (published 8 November 2017).
2017 Thorpe, H. Zoë Paul: La Perma-Perla Kraal Emporium. Studio International [online] (published 19 May 2017).
2016 Teasdale, P. Zoe Paul | Critic’s guide: Athens. frieze [online] (published 7 July 2016).
2016 Drake, C. Zoë Paul at The Breeder. ArtForum (published November 2016).
2016 Spirou, K. Reviewing The Humane Futurism of Zoë Paul. EPITOME.XYZ [online].
2016 Bailey, S. The Equilibrist: a report from Greece. Ocula [online] (published 12 July 2016).
2016 Trikas-Pandis, H. Zoe Paul: To Combrays kai to Dogville. CNN Greece [online] (published 6 July 2016).
2016 Boucher, B. Whats really cool | 2016 Armory Show. Artnet [online] (published 4 March 2016).
2015 Boucher, B. The Jewish Museum Seeks the Unorthodox in a Group Show that Aims to Be Unruly. Artnet [online] (published 27 November 2015).
2013 Best of 2013. Athinorama [online].
2013 Riff, J. Cronique Curiosité. Athinorama [online] (published November 2013).
2013 Genillard, L. Zoë Paul. N/V PROJECTS [online] (published April 2013).
blank is pleased to present When no one else comes, you can summon spirits to keep you company, a solo exhibition by Zoë Paul, her second with the gallery.
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This show was supposed to happen three years ago but I had just moved to the Omphalospito on Mount Parnassos where instead I started developing, in seclusion, these primordial figure drawings, summoning the spirits of Delphi, located on the other side of the mountain.
Delphi like many sacred ancient places is regarded as one of the navels of the world, the ομφαλός, ομ meaning raw or crude and φαλλος meaning fallus - is this a primordial lingam? Connecting us to where? To the universe? How can we link this serpentine umbilical cord back into the universe? The navel is a point that connects us with our ancestors through the primordial nourishment of the womb, the eternal lingam needing to be tended and cared for with libations and flowing light.
Lying in a crows nest bed on the top floor of a lower east side tenement building in New York in September, I dreamt of brass being welded together. Red hot irons melting into each other held together with slivers of molten silver and becoming grids. They were made as deep winter gifts for my friend Artemis. In a studio in Cape Town, they grew and became giants. Woven with a mixture of rough hand spun wool from the north of Greece and soft fine Karoo Mohair sourced in Cape Town, I wanted to create vessels that let light flow through them. Weavings are connections with our company: one line cannot exist without the other and the whole is created by many existing in community with each other.
The house is built around a central courtyard where I planted a pomegranate tree in honour of Persephone. The house found me on the day of all spirits as winter descended and I moved there as the spring broke in the northern hemisphere. The figures are spirits, titans, primordial beings casting light from their bodies. The weavings developed from these.
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Based between Athens and Parnassos, Zoë Paul (b.1987) grew up between the island of Kythera in Greece and Oxford in the UK. Her work incorporates the history of ancient art, often utilising the representation of the figure in particular to understand our human bodies in relation to the space and belief system they inhabit. She completed her MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London in 2012 and has had solo exhibitions in institutions across London, New York, Athens, Brussels, including at MO.CO in Montpellier, France (2024); Zeynep Çinili Hamam in Istanbul (2023); blank projects at No.9 Cork Street, London (2022); the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2019 - 2021); Galerie de Sèvres, Paris (2020); The Intermission, Piraeus (2020); La Loge, Brussels (2019); and Spike Island, Bristol (2018). She has participated in several group shows, including; Shades of Daphne at Kasmin, New York (2023), How Long is Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2021); Recyclage/Surcyclage at Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (2020); Landlord Colours: On Art, Economy, and Materiality at Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit, USA (2019) and Infinity Has its Limits at SALTS, Basel (2018).
blank is pleased to announce Shadows over the bright and darkened lands of the earth, a solo exhibition by Zoë Paul at Frieze’s No.9 Cork Street in London.
The artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, Shadows over the bright and darkened lands of the earth is a series of three large-scale bead curtains made from handmade stoneware, terra cotta, and porcelain depicting the forms of three naked figures suspended in motion. From 2020 - 2021, the installation was exhibited at MoMA for The Modern Window series, curated by Jocelyn Miller.
About the works, Miller writes: ‘Zoë Paul’s beaded curtain installations incorporate styles of picture-making from across history—ancient cave paintings, Byzantine iconography, classical Greek vases, as well as the digital pixels that compose virtual reality. Her work is partially inspired by the curtains hung in doorways in the Mediterranean, which allow easy flow between public and private spaces. Ambient light and the motion of passersby make the depicted figures appear to come to life, with a kind of flickering that resembles early film animation. The beads serve a function similar to that of computer pixels, coalescing to produce a triptych of figures—in the artist’s words, a “celebratory, spiritual evocation of bodily representation, focusing on musculature, strength, dynamism, and the spiritually erotic.”’
