Are we truly in over our heads in a digital, disembodied reality, or have we simply chosen to bury our heads in the sand?
Clay Masters presents a two-part interdisciplinary project, combining a contemporary presentation of ceramic art with a selection of short films dedicated to clay and its practices — a meeting space between the tangible and the audiovisual.
The themes of ecology, identity, memory, and transformation emerge as central axes, reflecting the anxieties and quests of our time.
Three artists who use ceramics as a medium of expression—Andriana Papakanellou, Sher Wouters, and Stratos Zargklis—join forces with twelve short-film makers from both the domestic and international art scenes (United Kingdom, USA, China, and Brazil), forming a polyphonic ensemble that extends beyond geographical and cultural borders.
Between Clay and Moving Image
31 MAR - 5 APR
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aRTISTs
Andriana Papakanellou
I started working with ceramics in 2019 on the island of Sifnos, where I painted on pottery in the Lembesi's workshop. In 2021, when I returned to Athens, I began hand-building pots for my home, mostly learning through on-line videos. That same year, I found a ceramics studio in the city, where I worked as an assistant. In return,they allowed me to use the space to continue experimenting and learning about the material. In 2024, I attended the Contemporary Techniques in Ceramics and Coloring and Glazing techniques course at the University of Western Macedonia.
My practice often begins with collecting images—bits and pieces from here or there, or stories I come across that, for some reason, stay with me. I use them as starting points to build ceramic pieces by hand. Sometimes these images come from life or nature, sometimes from the internet, and sometimes from within. They come together in a loose narrative or structure I want to see exist—and possibly make me laugh. My process changes frequently. It depends on what I want to do.
@qndriqnq
Sher Wouters
I started working with ceramics in Greece over eight years ago. I came from New York City where I was working as an illustrator, prop designer, and art teacher. Moving to Greece catapulted me to explore ways to integrate. I grew up in Tokyo,and I found a familiarity in the cultural dynamics, but there are a million things that make Greece unique. Both cultures have a rich history in ceramics, and the importance of taking time to reflect, be present and connect with those around us. This is something I relish. I like exploring techniques and mediums with clay, and the magic of the unknown. I bring humor and the whimsical together in my pieces. The pieces in this exhibition are about burying your head in and not dealing with challenges, distracting ourselves from our reality.
@sheramics_1970
Stratos Zargklis
Efstratios (Stratos) Zargklis (b. 1986, Athens, Greece) is a ceramic artist and a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC). He holds a degree in Mathematics and later pursued five years of studies in drawing, ceramic art, and materials technology at private schools in Greece, complemented by further training in Italy. His background in mathematics informs a practice grounded in structure, repetition, and material logic.
Working primarily with clay as a sculptural medium, his work explores transformation, pressure, and the memory of gesture embedded in form. Through layering, folding, and surface intervention, his pieces balance between stability and movement, emphasizing process as an integral part of the final work.
He has participated in significant international exhibitions and his work has been awarded the Second Prize for Sculpture at the Athens Art Awards (2023) and the Second Prize at the PanHellenic Ceramics Competition (2024). He maintains his personal studio in Athens, where where he also
teaches ceramics.