From Clay Comes Art and Life | Souzana Petri

Text: Romina Xyda 

Photos: Panagiotis Mina 

A little earth and a lot of love are all you need to turn life into art, and that’s something ceramicist Souzana Petri knows all too well.

When she began her studies in the UK, the word ‘ceramics’ didn’t mean much to Souzana. However, her first contact with clay would place pottery firmly at the centre of her universe. “My first contact with ceramics was at University, and when they handed me that first piece of clay, it would prove decisive for my artistic career. That clay brought me closer to my roots and revealed my love for our cultural heritage. Now, my goal is to acquaint people with the history of Cyprus.”

She is inspired by the everyday life of today and yesterday, both on Cyprus and further afield. “I draw inspiration from my travels around the world, from which I always take something different that broadens my horizons and nourishes me as an artist. My visits to India, France and Spain proved to be milestones in developing my artistic technique.”

Souzana isn’t just a ceramicist. She also works with metal, which begs the question, how does she combine a malleable material with one as hard as metal? Her illuminating reply is, 

“I don’t combine the two; for me, they are both interesting in their own right. Both materials are inextricably linked with the history of our island, which makes them very important to me. The qualities of clay give me the freedom to create solely through touch. Copper, though harder and more resistant, never leaves me disappointed with the end results.”

to my beloved cyprus