Maria Economides

“Pottery is a continuous curiosity. How it is made, the way it feels, its shape and surface, how the ceramic object exists within a home. When I work with clay, I feel that I enter in a dialogue with the material. I enter in a relationship with it. Clay sets its limits and shows me what it likes and what it doesn’t. Then, I try to make this work for me.”

Maria Economides

Untitled

2023

ceramic vase
Stoneware mixed clay
ø34cm approx

Untitled

2023

ceramic vase
Stoneware iron and cobalt oxide
ø30cm (approx)

Untitled

2023

ceramic vase
Stoneware mixed clay
ø34cm approx

Untitled

2023

ceramic vase
Stoneware iron and cobalt oxide
ø30cm (approx)

About the maker

Maria Economides (b. 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece) was born and raised in Thessaloniki Greece. She studied business administration to run her family business of timber trade, but arts and crafts was always part of her life. in 2010 she moved with her family in Shanghai, China where she lived for 8 years, having the opportunity to travel all over Asia and discover different cultures. She moved to Athens in 2018 and started studying ceramics that became her passion, because in contrast to this era of instant gratification we are in, clay needs time, patience and concentration.

Economides found inspiration for her collection ‘Body Parts’ in the anatomical votive offerings from the ancient times to now. Her forms interplay between the functional and the sculptural with a dose of humour. All her ceramics are handcrafted, using only the simplest of tools.

Since 2022, Economides has had a series of museum collaborations, notably the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of Ancient Technology in Athens and the Van Gogh Foundation in Arles.