Is your craft linked to your home region?
Yes, it is totally linked to Pyrgos, the small village I live in. Here, there are quarries of white, grey, green marble and a great tradition of sculpture. Great sculptors were born in Pyrgos and a lot of workshops are located here as well.
Do you remember the first object you made?
My first work was to engrave my initials on the road of my village, as all the children of the village used to do. It is a tradition for the children, but it is also a way of marking your first step into marble sculpture.
©Panagiwta Karastergiou
What do you love most about your profession?
The moment a work is finished. The communication with important people who love art. Sometimes my workshop is a meeting point which reminds me of the ancient Agora of Athens where interesting conversations took place and ideas were exchanged.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?
It is something that comes from the past and continues in the present. The same forms, the same objects my ancestors used, are now made for a different reason, for a different use. The idea unites the tradition and innovation through marble.