Vanessa Safavi’s early research is shaped by her multicultural background and reflects a deep engagement with questions of migration, tourism, and exoticism. Early works explored notions of otherness and alienation, often drawing on ethnographic ideas inspired by Claude Lévi-Strauss. In installations such as sandy desert landscapes and thin metallic sculptures, she investigated cultural displacement and simplified human forms, while later taxidermied birds highlighted the artificiality of exotic stereotypes, exposing the failure of colonial utopias through subtle, evocative gestures.
After this socially engaged phase, Safavi turned to the exploration of materiality, developing a language of sculpture that balances conceptual rigor with playful experimentation. Silicone, rubber, resin, and plastics become central to her work, valued for their mutability, tactility, and associations with the body, femininity, and fetishism. She combines these materials with sand, metal, shells, and wooden structures to craft sculptures that are simultaneously sensual, abstract, and narrative-driven, influenced by Lygia Clarke, Lynda Benglis, and post-minimalist geometry.
Safavi’s ongoing research investigates the body, skin, and identity, linking the pliability of materials to cultural and technological transformations that shape contemporary perceptions of self. Her work reflects the fragility, vulnerability, and poetic potential of the body, offering a meditation on presence, desire, and the shifting meanings of embodiment in a hyperstructured world. ...
The Breeder gallery was formed organically from The Breeder magazine due to the need of Athenian artists to promote international dialogue. Over the last 20 years The Breeder has been a pioneer in the development of the contemporary art scene in Athens. They show art that is relevant to our times and promote a select group of Greek artists on the global arena while also showing cutting edge international artists. The Breeder serves as a link that connects cultures and supports a deeper exchange. They support their community by providing an active platform for the exchange of ideas and ideals. In 2019 they introduced The Breeder Open Studio initiative, where the gallery is available to invited artists prior to their show. Working onsite the artists have the opportunity to engage with the audience in more substantial ways. Invited artists of the Breeder Open studio, include Ariana Papademetropoulos, Chioma Ebinama, Joy Labinjo, Ekene Stanley Emecheta, Victor Ubah, Barry Yusufu and Adegboyega Adesina. ...
