I'm Lοukia. Tech freak, ceramist, and art lover. My thinking and work have always been based on square logic, where processing issues lead to an explanation. Everything has its own way, development, and above all, reason, order, and use.
I started ceramics 15 years ago, and since then, I have attended seminars, workshops, and classes from the most well-known professional ceramicists in Greece and Europe. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I was lucky to have teachers that generously shared their knowledge and provided me with inspiration and a thirst to shape, create and discover new techniques. Nikos Sklavenitis drove me to the road of shape formation and deformation, and Menandros Papadopoulos introduced me to chemistry and ceramics technology.
Today, I have devoted myself almost entirely to ceramics.
In 2020 I opened Sealed Earth Ceramic Art Studio and Gallery in Athens as a space where artists, through their creativity, would showcase the beauty of ceramics and develop a new admiration for the art. Since then, Sealed Earth has created opportunities for artists to experience the joy of artistic expression and nurtured creativity with in-house collective art exhibitions, art curation, art direction, mentorship, and access to an online shop.
Working with clay intrigues me. The challenge of the material, the forms that emerge, the wet soil that takes shape, and life. I have been mesmerized by the chemistry and earthly materials as they blend and discover the secrets of the big kiln every time.
At the start of my journey as a ceramicist, I created many works using slabs of clay with linear engravings adorning the pieces. For a year, I worked with spherical shapes, experimenting with the form in its entirety but also in its parts (domes, hemispheres, etc.). Still, through connecting various iterations of the form, I was able to create pieces whose components are in conversation with one another, brought together by the work itself but distinct in their individuality.
In the summer of 2022, I exhibited with Big Blue Dot Artists Residency and Exhibition at Ano Koufonisi, where I created small sculptural figures on the rocks.
All figurines (155 in total) were facing the island of Keros at 155° SE, attempting to break free from the rock and go there. My work "155° SE" was a play between me and the area of the Small Cyclades; it was the audacity to change the distinction between interior and exterior landscape.
A dynamic story unfolded, expressing the interaction with the environment under Keros' care, documenting a conversation with nature and nature's acceptance of human presence. The figurines were not baked so that the sea, air, and human factor could play their part, resulting in their total disappearance and return to the Earth after a couple of months.
Most recently, my work has mainly focused on female empowerment. I create sculptural vessels with a female form, painting their bodies and dresses inspired by different cultures.
Women's empowerment is essential for the health and social development of families, communities, and countries. When women live safe, fulfilled, and productive lives, they can reach their full potential to contribute their skills to the workforce and lead happy, successful, and robust communities.
It is inconceivable to me that in the 21st century, we are still discussing fundamental human rights to appearance, education, work, and position in society. My women stand proud and strong as all individuals of any gender and gender expression should be. This project is still a work in progress.