The Benaki Museum Shop presents Thomais Kontou’s exhibition “A cup of tea” at the Ghika Gallery Shop, as part of the series "Kriezotou 3 window. An artist exhibits”.

“I'm basically self-taught. Porcelain, as a material, holds secrets and wonders. To start from clay, a primordial material, and to finally end up with an entirely handmade object is truly a fascinating process that involves imagination, knowledge, memories, skills, but also arduous manual labour. This form of art suits me. It is a way of living that is intertwined with everyday life.

The composition of porcelain, in combination with the very high temperatures at which it is fired, reveals interesting aesthetic attributes: transparency, whiteness, brilliance, purity of colours. In addition, hardness and durability, which make it ideal for functional ware. In other aspects, it is an awkward material with minimal plasticity, brittleness (before firing) and high contraction in the final firing. Ceramists speak of a "memory" attributed to the porcelain mass, which affects the form of the object in the final firing, even if it has been previously adjusted.

I shape most items on the wheel, using moulds for selected forms and slabs for making tiles and wall panels. I then use decorative techniques of 'sgraffito' engraving, cutting or removing material, applying wax under and over the glaze as well as hand embossing the surface. The glazes and colours are of my own composition, made from natural raw materials and metal oxides.

An important moment in my professional journey was my first contact with the Benaki Museum in 2004. At the time, the Head of the Shop was Despina Geroulanou, with whom we developed an excellent and productive collaboration. I wish to dedicate this exhibition to her, who left us so early."

Thomais Kontou has been working professionally with ceramics since 1975 and almost exclusively with porcelain since 1988. Having studied graphic design at the Doxiadis School and completed apprenticeships in Ceramics (David Woodcock), Chemistry (Menandros Papadopoulos), Racu (Menandros Papadopoulos, Kostas Tarkasis), Porcelain (David Leach), as well as a two-year Art History seminar with Pantelis Tzavalos, Thomais is a member of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts, the  Association of Mediterranean Artists, and a member of Homo Faber at the Michelangelo Foundation. She was also one of the founding members of the Union of Ceramic Artists of Greece.

Duration: 11.05.2023-12.06.2023
Ghika Gallery Shop, 3 Kriezotou st., Athens¬