Our Team
Ioanna Koubidou
Conservator of Antiquities & Works of Art
Ioanna, is a graduate of the Department "Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art" of IEK XINI Thessaloniki since 1998. She has also graduated from the Department "Studies in Greek Culture", School of Humanities, of the Hellenic Open University in 2011 and continued her postgraduate studies at the Southwestern University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, on Cultural Heritage and Cultural Tourism, graduating with a Master's degree in 2015.
She has been working professionally since 1999 until today:
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As a conservator of antiquities and works of art, with many years of experience in the conservation of archaeological monuments and works of art, both through the Ministry of Culture in Antiquities Ephorate and in private contracts for conservation and restoration projects.
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as a teacher in art conservation in post-secondary education.
Dr Dimitris Tsipotas
Conservator of Antiquities and Works of Art
The founder and owner of POLITISTICA, Dimitris Tsipotas, is a graduate of the Department of "Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art" of the Technological Educational Institute of Athens since 2002. As a scholarship holder at the State Scholarship Foundation (IKY), he continued with doctoral level studies at "Brunel University, Faculty of Design, Crafts and Visual Arts, UK", on a topic related to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and obtained his PhD in 2010.
Since 2000 he has been employed:
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As a conservator of antiquities and works of art, with many years of experience in studies and interventions for the conservation of archaeological monuments and works of art,
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as a freelance researcher - contractor with a licence to practice the profession of conservator of antiquities and works of art (licence no. 931), in work contracts of private institutions, private individuals, cultural associations, local government, Metropolises, monasteries, in institutions of the Ministry of Education, such as in the University Excavations of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: Folklore Historical Museum of Larissa, Bank of Greece, Ephorate of Antiquities of Florina - Archaeological Museum of Florina, Kv' EPKA Dodecanese, Rhodes, 19th EBA, Kv ́ EPKA, Ist ́ EPKA,
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as a lecturer in art conservation in Higher and Post-secondary education, and as a researcher in higher education.
At the same time, he has supervised theses, published in edited volumes and journals and has participated and presented articles and lectures in workshops, conferences and workshops in Greece and abroad on various issues of cultural heritage management and conservation of his research interests.
Margarita Tileli
Archaeologist
Margarita is an archaeologist specialized in Byzantine archeology and art history, graduate of the "History & Archaeology" department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she was admitted with a scholarship.
She continued her studies at the Department of Architecture of the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Program in the Protection, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Monuments obtaining a Master's degree. She graduated with honors, with a diploma subject related to the protection, promotion and preservation of cultural heritage.
She is continuing her studies as a PhD candidate at the University of Thessaly in the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and Design with a focus on archeology and technical history of wooden vessels.
She is a qualified tour guide and diver.
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From 2006 until today he has been employed: · as a field archaeologist - researcher (excavations of the Ministry of Culture), with many years of experience in rescue excavations, supervision of excavation works, compilation and editing of scientific catalogs of archaeological evidence and excavation reports for publication. recording and documentation of mobile finds under the supervision of: Ephorate of Antiquities of the city of Thessaloniki, Ephorate of Antiquities of the region of Thessaloniki, Ephorate of Antiquities of Emathia, Ephorate of Antiquities of Halkidiki and Mount Athos. (Byzantine Thessaloniki/historic center, Byzantine walls of Thessaloniki, Old Metropolis of Veria, Byzantine Halkidiki)
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as a freelancer /partner in conservation and restoration studies of cultural monuments
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as a teacher in secondary education and post-secondary education,
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as a researcher in higher education.
At the same time, she has published in collective volumes and magazines and has participated and presented her articles and lectures in meetings, conferences and workshops in Greece and abroad on various issues of cultural heritage management and conservation of her research interests.
Maria Varela
Archeologist & Conservator of Antiquities and Works of Art
Maria graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2019 with a degree in History and Archaeology, specializing in "Archaeology and History of Art". During the first semester of 2019, she participated as an animator in the educational programs of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki during her two-month internship. It was her first contact with the world of cultural heritage, leaving behind the romantic veil that covered archaeology in her teenage eyes. In fact, she received an award for her internship representing the Department of History and Archaeology.
Her keen interest in the historical past combined with the inexplicable attraction that the field of Art can give you, led her in 2020 to study as a "Technician for the Conservation of Art and Antiquities" at the private IEK DELTA 360o Thessaloniki. At the same time, at the end of 2021, she worked as a population census taker for the 2011-2021 census conducted by ELSTAT.
Her joining the Politistica Heritage Training team took place in the context of her internship, where the team's zeal and dedication to the subject quickly became apparent. Maria’s involvement was mainly focused on the research part and the collection of information to achieve the various projects undertaken by the company. She played a supporting role in the research and the preparation and organization of the objectives set by the team. This opportunity became a motivation for her lifelong education in Archaeology and specifically in the field of Conservation and Restoration. It is important for her to think about how our past can affect our future, even if only by a small illustration on a broken vessel. Art, after all, has no limitations in awakening consciences.
When the lights of professional pursuits go out, her interest shifts to cinema, science fiction books, crosswords and video games. She enjoys spending time in nature, and there is no shortage of moments of artistic expression, such as sketching and creating puzzles.
Sophia Vairamidou
Cultural Heritage Manager & Conservator of Antiquities and Work of Art
Sofia graduated in Italian Language and Literature from the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2006. In 2015, she continued her academic studies at postgraduate level in the field of Management of Cultural Entities at the Hellenic Open University (Hellenic Open University). Her doctoral research focused on digital storytelling and the contribution of the practise to the understanding and interpretation of cultural heritage.
At the same time, she trained as a technician for the conservation of works of art and antiques. She began her internship at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Halkidiki and Mount Athos, which she completed at Politistica, where she is continuing her career.
Today, she works as a member of the Politistica team both in the field of conservation art application and in the preparation of proposals for the application of European funding programmes in this context.