Maria Grigoriou

Maria Grigoriou decided to focus on woven textiles and tapestry while studying at West Surrey College of Art in Farnham, England, which was well known for its textile department. “It was there that I got up close to a loom for the first time. Upon my return to Greece, I travelled all over the country to record the different looms used and the different types of weaving, to interview women about what they could remember about natural dyeing and generally to record whatever I could about a craft that has a very long history in the country,” she says. In recent years her work has become increasingly conceptual, as she applies textile and weaving techniques to non-traditional materials including paper, to create contemporary works.

Maria Grigoriou uses many materials and techniques across her work. Weaving, natural dyeing, indigo dyeing, folding, creasing and pleating paper (dyeing it, waxing, ironing and generally treating it like textile), and forging and hammering of iron wire are some of the principal techniques and materials used. At times, it is the colours, especially the blue of the natural indigo, that will inspire a creation, such as the colours of seascapes and the blue mountains on the horizon, a landscape that Maria adores. Sometimes it is the creation process itself that motivates and inspires her, allowing the material, the technique and its possibilities and limitations to show her the way.

The more Maria Grigoriou experiments with different materials and techniques, the freer she feels to choose the one that is most suitable to her and therefore will better express her vision, idea and design. She believes that although technique and good craftsmanship are important aspects of making, what distinguishes a technician from an artist/craftsperson is what they do with their techniques. The balance, the idea, the colour, the design, the aesthetics. Marie finds resonance in the words of Hamada, who wrote that for a craft object to be considered excellent it needs three things, "Hands, mind and heart", and all three to a high standard.

Magnae Chartae Exhibition