CV
Alexia Achilleos is a Finnish-Cypriot artist and researcher, with a background in fine art, archaeology and cultural studies. Alexia is interested in the power dynamics that impact narrative, with a current focus on the Eastern Mediterranean region. By investigating data and utilising machine learning processes, often in a historical context, she aims to re-examine such topics from a different perspective. Her work re-interprets dominant narratives and questions biases found within history and society, but also within AI technology itself, particularly challenging the idea of technology as universal and objective. Her work has been exhibited at institutions and conferences such as NeMe Arts Centre, World Intellectual Property Organisation, Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), and NeurIPS Workshop on Machine Learning for Creativity and Design. She is a member of the Artists’ Association MUU, Finland and NeMe, Cyprus.
Alexia is a PhD Fellow at CYENS Centre of Excellence, undertaking artistic research on colonialism and AI, as well as a Research Associate at the Media Art & Design Research Lab (MADLab) at Cyprus University of Technology. Alexia is currently involved in the project ΑΠΟαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ, where she is creating a Cypriot dialect AI natural language processing model, in collaboration with Dr. Spyros Armostis, linguistics lecturer at the University of Cyprus and Ypogeia Skini NGO.
E D U C A T I O N
Doctoral studies, Looking at AI From The Periphery: Auditing & Decolonising Cypriot AI, Cyprus University of Technology, 2022 – ongoing
Grad Dip Archaeology, University College London, UK, 2014 – 2015
MA Cultural and Creative Industries, Kingʼs College London, UK, 2009 – 2010
BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of East London, UK, 2005 – 2009
O T H E R E D U C A T I O N
Introduction to Creative Artificial Intelligence (short course), Creative Computing Institute and Institute of Coding, University of the Arts London (UAL) 2020
Art History modules, Open University, Helsinki, 2004 – 2005
M E M B E R S H I P S
[Member] Artists’ Association MUU, Finland
[Vice-president] NeMe, Cyprus
R E S E A R C H
Research Associate, ITICA, CYENS – Centre of Excellence, Cyprus, 2022 – present
Research Associate, Media Art & Design Research Lab (MADLab), Cyprus University of Technology, 2020 – present
Research Associate, Museum Lab, CYENS – Centre of Excellence, Cyprus, 2021 – 2022
Research Associate, Semiotics and Visual Communication Lab, Cyprus University of Technology, 2021
C O N F E R E N C E S / W O R K S H O P S / TALKS
[Conference presentation] “ΑΠΟαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ: Decolonisation through poetry”, Many Worlds of AI: Intercultural Approaches to the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence conference, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at University of Cambridge, UK, April 2023
[Talk] Book launch: ΑποαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ: Γλωσσοπλάσματα που μηχανές τζ̆αι πλάσματα, Synergeio Cultural Space, Cyprus, February 2023
[Talk] Book launch: ΑποαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ: Γλωσσοπλάσματα που μηχανές τζ̆αι πλάσματα, CYENS – Centre of Excellence, Nicosia, Cyprus, February 2023
[Talk] “ΑΠΟαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ”, WIP 2022: Brave New Humanity, CYENS – Centre of Excellence, Nicosia, Cyprus, Nov 2022
[Talk] “GAN as a tool of postcolonial practice”, Forking Room 2022, Post Territory Ujeongguk, Seoul, Republic of Korea, June 2022
[Talk] “Cyprus as AI Saw It: Perpetuating Colonialism”, Data As Common Ground, CYENS, Cyprus, April 2022
[Workshop] Envisions: Imagining new futures for AI, workshop 2, Goethe Institute and Feminist Internet, online, September 2021
[Conference presentation] “Cyprus as AI Saw It: Digital Colonialism and AttnGAN Text-to-Image Synthesis”, xCoAx 2021, Graz, Austria/online, July 2021
[Conference presentation] “Experience of collective ideation and proposal drafting online (MADLab experience)” ALT: Web as a Café, Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine/online, June 2021
[Conference presentation] “A Case of Decolonial AttnGAN Text-to-Image Synthesis”. New Materialist Informatics 2021: Computing and Worldmaking, University of Kassel, Germany/online March 2021
P U B L I C A T I O N S
[editor] ΑΠΟαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ: Γλωσσοπλάσματα που μηχανές τζ̆αι πλάσματα, edited by Alexia Achilleos, Spyros Armostis and Eleftheria Sokratous (Ypogia Skini, 2022). ISBN 978-9925-7972-0-2
[contributor] Frankenstein Reanimated: Conversations with Artists in Dystopian Times, edited by Marc Garrett and Yiannis Colakides (Torque, 2022)
[contributor] Envisions 2021, Andrew Mallinson et al (co-author), created by Feminist Internet, Produced as part of Generation A = Algorithm, Goethe Institut.
Cyprus as AI Saw It: Digital Colonialism and AttnGAN Text to Image Synthesis, Marinos Koutsomichalis, Alexia Achilleos. In Proceedings of the 9th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X (xCoAx 21). Graz AT & Online.
A Case of De-colonialist AttnGAN Text to Image Synthesis. Marinos Koutsomichalis & Alexia Achilleos. New Materialist Informatics 2021: Computing and Worldmaking. Kassel, DE & Online.
E X H I B I T I O N S / S C R E E N I N G S / P E R F O R M A N C E S
In the Sea of the Setting Sun: Contemporary Photographic Practices and the Archive, SPEL – State Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cyprus, 2022
Xarkis festival 2022, “Onwards and backwards: Colonialism and intersectionality”, Cyprus, 2022
Electropixel #12, Irrational Collective, Nantes, France, 2022
Scaping, Limassol Municipal Arts Centre, Cyprus, 2022
Forking Room 2022: Canary in the Synthetisphere, Ujeongguk, Seoul, South Korea, 2022
Arboreal Collective, NeMe, Limassol, Cyprus, 2022
ΑΠΟαποικιοΠΟΙΗΣΗ, Synergeio Cultural Space, Cyprus, 2022
+axi 2021, Synergeio Cultural Space, Cyprus, 2021
Tetramatyka 2021, Lviv, Ukraine, 2021
Computer vision gallery, Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2021, virtual, June 2021
One Day Express Lab, Dance House Lemesos, Cyprus, June 2021
Αν-follow, Synergeio Cultural Space, Cyprus, 2021
NeurIPS Creativity 2020, aiartonline.com, virtual, 2020
Ollphéist, Ormston House, Limerick, Ireland, 2020
50 Shorts vs. Covid-19, International Short Film Festival of Cyprus, 2020
WIPO: Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, World Intellectual Property Organisation, virtual, 2020
Φύλα’ τες τσαέρες σου, να ‘σ̆εις τες μισές – The Phini Chair, Phini Cultural Centre, Cyprus, 2020
Children of Prometheus, NeMe, Limassol, Cyprus, 2019
Through Other Eyes, NeMe, Limassol, Cyprus, 2019
Self As Actor: Colonising Identity, NeMe, Limassol, Cyprus, 2019
Akvarelli NYT, Ahjo art centre, Joensuu, Finland, 2018
Apus Apus, part of Pafos2017: European Capital of Europe, Ibrahim’s Khan, Pafos, Cyprus, 2017
Turku – Nicosia 2926 km, Fotodos Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2014
Heterogenic, European Commission, Helsinki, Finland, 2012
Heterogenic Talismans, Köysiratagalleria, Turku, Finland, 2011
Fragile, POST Gallery, London, UK, 2010
C U R A T O R I A L
Apus Apus, part of Pafos2017: European Capital of Europe, Ibrahim’s Khan, Pafos, Cyprus, 2017
Heterogenic, European Commission, Helsinki, Finland, 2012
G R A N T S / A W A R D S
Cultural Services, Deputy Ministry of Culture (Cyprus), €1800, 2022
Frame Contemporary Art Finland, €2000, 2022
“50 shorts vs. Covid-19”, Ministry of Education of Culture (Cyprus), €1000, 2020
Paulo Foundation (Finland), €1500, 2019
TAIKE (Finland), €3000, Apus Apus exhibition, 2017
C O O R D I N A T I O N O F E U – F U N D E D P R O J E C T S
[Lead] Toolkit of Care, COST Action CA21102, 2022 – 2026
[Lead] Mediterranean Young Talent (YOTA), EASME/COSME/2014/003
[Participating partner] WORTH Pilot Project, Ref No. 293/PP/ENT/CIP/13/B/N02C05, COSME
T E A C H I N G / M E N T O R I N G
Programming Multimedia module, BA Multimedia & Graphic Arts, School of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology, 2022
Mentoring students taking Critical Data module, MA Interface Cultures at University for Art & Design Linz, Austria, 2021
A level/GCSE Art & Design, Private tutoring, 2018 – present
A level/IGCSE Art & Design, Pascal Private School, Limassol, Cyprus, 2019 – 2020
I N D U S T R Y E X P E R I E N C E
University of the Arts London (UAL), UK. Projects Coordinator | Coordinated the university’s international projects. 2015 – 2018
Barbican Centre, London, UK. Barbican International Enterprises Administrator | Co-ordinated and administered the Barbican Centre’s international touring exhibitions. 2011 – 2014
Marc Quinn Studio, London, UK. Studio assistant | Contributed to the painting of the artist’s Still Life paintings. 2008 – 2009
Alexia Achilleos 