Artist Statement

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Complex geometric patterns found in lace, crochet, and embroidery are part of my vivid childhood memories from Crete. The Strolleroptera series is about the transformative experience of motherhood. The word is one I created based on Lepidoptera. Composed of the English word “stroller” and the Greek word “ptera” meaning “wings”, Strolleroptera reflects the two languages I speak in daily life. To create these works, I began with a photograph of my shadow captured while pushing my twins’ stroller. By mirroring the image, a butterfly shape was revealed. Paper cutting is a laborious and meditative process through which I transform the paper into a lace-like surface. The paper is delicately cut to create a complex web that embeds the butterfly into a unified design. My work is constructed in layers that I keep slightly apart, allowing the shadows cast by shifting light to become a vital part of the artwork. These shadows visually mingle, revealing kaleidoscopic forms of interconnected microcosms.

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Biography

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Despina Zografos is a visual artist born and raised on the island of Crete, Greece. Her practice spans hand-cut paper, painting, cyanotype, photography, video, and printmaking. She holds an MA in Art Education from Adelphi University (NY), an MSc in Art Therapy from Queen Margaret University (Edinburgh, U.K.), and a BFA in Painting from the Athens School of Fine Arts (GR), with additional studies in audiovisual arts in Lisbon (PT) through the Erasmus program. Despina was a mentee of the New York Foundation for the Arts Immigrant Artist Program and an artist-in-residence at the Art League of Long Island (NY). Her work has received several distinctions, including Best in Show at the Huntington Arts Council Black & White Exhibition and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Award from NAWA. In addition to have been exhibited in Greece, the Netherlands, and Scotland Despina’s work has been exhibited widely in the U.S., including at the Heckscher Museum of Art (NY), Rockefeller Center (NYC), the Art on Paper Art Fair (NYC), the Ely Center of Contemporary Art (CT), The Consulate General of Greece (NYC), and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CT). Her first solo in-person exhibition was on display at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, First Floor Gallery (NY), in June 2026. Her work has been featured in Women United Art Magazine, Suboart Art Magazine, NAWA Now, and Artsin Square magazine. Despina resides and works in Garden City, New York.