IYP X Dila & Work in Progress Studios

Elen Demirian is an Armenian painter and illustrator currently studying for her degree in Visual Arts at Deree, the American College of Greece. She was awarded an Education Unites scholarship by the university in order to pursue her studies in Athens.

Elen is currently in ongoing mentorship for presenting and developing her work with Kasia Maciejowska, founder of the Dila mentoring network for young refugee women pursuing creative careers. In addition Elen has been receiving mentorship through Dila’s community under the guidance of experienced graphic designer Patil Tchilinguirian, who worked with Elen to develop and present her graphics and illustration portfolio with a view to strengthening Elen’s capacity to support herself while in college.

Before coming to Athens, Elen studied printmaking at the State Academy of Fine Arts in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. After completing her degree at Deree she plans to pursue an MA, before continuing on to a PhD, because alongside building a career as a painter in her own right, she would like to teach fine art as a university professor later in life.