Elfie Kalfakis

Elfie Kalfakis is an artist inspired by play, the occult and consciousness. Her art is both an extension of her solitary spiritual practice and an unyielding captivation with chance and synchronicity. Her work is rooted in a refined intuitive process, and is multidisciplinary. She aspires to use her artwork as a means of breaking down stigmas and barriers within popular culture towards metaphysical/spiritual concepts and has a passion for female empowerment and mental health advocacy.

Primarily driven by the intuitive process her work spans over a breadth of styles. In her experiments with mediums such as collage, printmaking, illustration, filmmaking, street art, and even fire,  the common thread is her incessant need to communicate intuitive revelations accurately. Her work is an act of spiritual ritual and a journey of self-discovery and healing.

Elfie was raised in a Greek-Cypriot family and her work is rooted in the deep traditions of her upbringing. She has studied astrology and occult concepts for over 15 years. Her childhood godfather practiced Greek-Cypriot mysticism. More recently, she also studied with the late shaman and professor, Antonio Gil – a Cuban emigrant trained in Afro-Cuban spiritual practices.

Professionally, Elfie was trained as an architect. She obtained her Masters of Architecture from the University of Waterloo where she researched the practice of mapping the spirit of place and the capacity for street art to change the collective consciousness of place. She worked  as a design intern in Paris, France, Boston, USA and Toronto, Ontario and studied in Rome, Italy. She then obtained a Bachelor of Education and worked in both private and public schools teaching media, design and visual arts. She has owned and operated an art studio in Toronto’s east end: ArtCave. Elfie currently teaches at the School of Creative Industries in Conestoga College and in the Bachelor of Interior Design at Fanshawe College. She also owns and operates White Owl Mystic, a mystical/intuitive art and studio.

Elfie’s self-published deck, the White Owl Mystic Arcana, has been sold all around the world. She is currently the resident astrologer at the Community Edition. Her self-published adult-picture book entitled, Butterfly: A Tale of Misogyny and Systemic Abuse was made possible through the help of crowd funding and is currently available at major retailers and showcased at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Elfie has also created a variety of public performance projects in Toronto, on Rogers Public Television and in South Western Ontario.