New work by Margarita Ecclesiarchou at the Nikos Hakjikyriakos-Ghika annexe of the Benaki Museum.
We visited the museum shop during one of our wanders around Kolonaki. I have posted on Margarita Ecclesiarchou's ceramics before, here and here . This work is different from anything of hers I have seen before.
Six porcelain bowls. The decoration is pretty enough, but it was the quality of the form that totally threw me. The porcelain is literally paper thin. Egg shell is thicker. I cannot begin to understand how she was able to make them. The man in the shop said to me that for every four she makes only one survives. And I am not surprised. I have never seen such thin porcelain. I was afraid to touch them, I thought they would disintegrate as I was very very gently holding them. Amazing.
Oh dear. Looking back over your other posts on this ceramicist, I find that I like the decoration of these bowls even less to my own taste. I completely agree about the marvel that fine fine porcelain is, and how fantastically difficult it must be to produce these. But somehow, for me, it makes the decoration more inappropriate. I love that earliest work in comparison - even though I too have a thing about bowls.
ReplyDeleteI would be fascinated to know what her motivations are, and why she made what seems such a radical change.
These bowls are very pretty so her motivation might have been commercial, even though that is probably unlikely, given the price they are selling for.
DeleteThere is nothing in your comment that I really disagree with, Olga. I usually like white, minimalist ceramics, and I agree that the decoration is inappropriate to the form. It's too pretty. But, I was so taken by how thin the porcelain is, that I would not mind owning one. But, as I said, the price is far too high - understandable, but in the final analysis, not worth it.
It might well be paper clay porcelain, I am working on getting bowls so thin they are translucent and am getting nearer to it. Was in Nicole Farhi flagship store in London admiring fine large white bowls...manager chatted, then asked me to send him some images of my work and he would "make a pitch" for them since they were keen to promote British craft! Not sure that I am quite at the stage of supplying Nicole Farhi stores but it was nice to be asked!
ReplyDeleteI thought about paper clay, Arvil, and asked. Apparently they are porcelain. Amazingly thin.
DeleteNice to be asked, as you said. And you never know... Glad ceramics is progressing so well for you.