Maro Kerasioti's Forest of Fire

A Greek novelist and ceramic artist that uses symbolism of forest becoming alive through the fire, in this symposium. Maro Kerasioti has also been teaching ceramic art in prisons, she believes you can reach freedom through artwork. This is already her 8th symposium in Turkey!

Maro with the Mayor, Ahmet Ataç

Could you introduce your artwork?

I have always been working with projects about mythology and our tradition. For the last 15 years, I have been working on a forest project. I am making a forest that cannot burn. I also have another project which is called “The Sea”. For my last exhibition with the Sea, I was showing fish and mermaids, and now with seashells and sea flowers. So, ceramics is very important to me, but I am a novelist as well. Through that I can express myself in another way. Because ceramics is a silent language, but I need to speak louder of things that I have in my mind

Where do your inspirations come from?

I am interested with the forest issue because in Greece we have problems about this and it happened to a  forest near our house. When I saw the dead logs standing, black from burning, I decided to make a forest that will come alive through fire. So, that is the opposite thing. Through fire my forest becomes nice and brown and this is the ecological message to everybody, because whenever the forest is destroyed, another must come up.

What is the work you have brought for this symposium?

Maro`s tree trunk

My self. My self as an ambassador to show what we believe in Greece. I have been coming for several years to Turkey, I started 15 years ago, there was a symposium between Turks and Greeks. Through art we were uniting the nations separately from political pressures. We formed friendships which can only be from individuals, politics cannot do it. And this is my 8th symposium now in Turkey.

How did you start with art?

I have been in ceramics for 52 years now, maybe in the last 15 years, I have been workıng on the project about forests. I have been spending my life teaching prisoners on the voluntary basis, which I did for 19 years. And I thought that you can find freedom through art if you are in prison. That was also an important lesson for me and also the prisoners are very happy to be able to express themselves, even sell the pieces and get some money. That gave me a lot of confidence to watch what I can do on a voluntary basis.

What do you think about the benefits of the symposium for the artists or students?

I think it's very useful for all of us, artist and student, because ceramics is such a multi-faced thing, so many expressions and this is interesting to see so many people doing different things. This is a very interesting part of doing ceramics. Also it is very intriguing because sometimes your eye catches something that after a while, it thinks that it was its own idea, you know… there is nothing new, other people have done it before you and it just continue with this circle.

What is your plan for your future?

We have had an organisation in China which comes from around the world, for 4 years already. We form the organisation above political and monetary reasons. For next December, we will go to India. I have been travelling a lot through ceramics, I feel blessed. Sometime I feel cursed because I can't do without it. I see both sides. I have 6 grandchildren which need some attention, maybe some guiding not parenting. I want to make a friendship with them. They have parents to give them some advice; so they need a crazy grandparent for a friend. This is another pleasantry for me.