Kalliopi Kalaitzidou

Calliope Mosaics

Mosaic maker

©Kalliopi Kalaitzidou

Connecting heaven and earth

Kalliopi creates mosaic art inspired by humans, nature and spirituality
Migrants from around the world participated in a community project she organised
She believes that art, creativity and dreams empower and heal individuals and communities

Kalliopi Kalaitzidou's journey began when she took a mosaic course in the cultural municipality centre of her neighbourhood when she was 14 years old. As a self-taught artisan, she has never stopped exploring mosaic techniques. "My work addresses issues of identity, transcendence and multiplicity, in an approach that seeks to reveal how these elements come together," she says. In her practice, Kalliopi uses bright colours, traditional patterns and archetypal symbols, emphasising lines and geometric shapes. She uses stained glass, Italian smalti, all kinds of tesserae, ceramic tiles and mosaic adornments in her artworks. Kalliopi works on surfaces made of wood, metal and glass, and she prefers working on surfaces she creates herself from building materials. “For me, the creative process is both a ritual and a game. When creating a mosaic, I deconstruct through the cutting of the materials and reconstruct through their synthesis. This gives me a sense of restoration of a lost order, aesthetics and meaning when the work is completed,” she says.

Interview

©Kalliopi Kalaitzidou

Why did you choose this craft?: Mosaic art is a dynamic space for expression. It grants me letters, words, grammar and syntax to communicate what I want to say. It is as scientific and technical as it is intuitive and ethereal. As an art based on constructive materials, mosaics provide the elements required to connect heaven and earth.
What was a memorable moment in your professional life?: I organise community projects because I believe that art, creativity and dreams empower and heal individuals and communities. The mosaic community project, The Magic Carpet, still holds a special place in my heart. Migrants from all around the world participated at the Municipality Theater of Mytilene in Lesvos island.
Do you master any specific techniques?: I am both practical and intuitive at the same time. People usually admire the colour combinations in my artwork and often share how touched they feel by the designs I create. I use simple yet symbolic forms and shapes that invite a feeling of connection with them.
How does your creative process unfold?: I am a humble mediator. I need to be able to perceive what I aim to design. Everything starts from a sense or a state, then transforms into drawings, lines and colours, followed by construction. The process inflates through intuition and concludes in applied technicality.

Kalliopi Kalaitzidou is a master artisan: she began her career in 2012 and she started teaching in 2013