María Cano Casas

Salvaje

Ceramicist

©Cristina de la Concha

©Fernando Cano

©Cristina de la Concha

A beacon of hope for ancestral techniques

María works with her father on many of her research and exhibition works
She has attended craft residencies in Mexico, Italy and Argentina
Her ceramics were exhibited in several avant-garde craft galleries in Colombia

María Cano Casas’ was born into a strong family heritage of philosophers, educators, and journalists. She nourishes and evolves her craft through exploration and cultural exchange. Her contact with native communities in Colombia has been a calling to record and preserve ancient ceramic techniques and to seek knowledge exchange opportunities both locally and abroad. María has a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Crafts from Los Andes University, Bogotá and an MA in Production Design for Film and Television at Kingston University, London. She opened Salvaje in 2016 with her first restaurant commission to design a tableware series. Today, she creates unique decorative and sculptural pieces as well as utilitarian and custom tableware for a select clientele, redefining the ancestral techniques she wholeheartedly wants to preserve.

Where

Interview

©Carmen Triana

©Fernando Cano

How did ceramics come to be in your life?: I was working as a preschool Arts teacher when I came back into contact with clay. The sensation of it brought childhood memories of my grandparents' farmhouse. I used to stick my hands in the mud, playing with my cousins at a nearby pond. That experience led me to take up turning classes.
How is territory reflected in your craft?: In 2019 I met the Juana Sánchez community, off the riverbanks of the Magdalena River. Four women, the last of a generation of potters, taught me their craft. They hand build clay vessels with a coiling technique that starts with a spiralled base, as other natives do with basketry and knitting. Since then, I have vowed to help them spread and preserve their know-how.
What is the importance of knowledge exchange for you?: Knowledge exchange and humanism are part of my DNA. My family has been a constant advocate of knowledge and information transmission, hence my interest in sharing know-how to preserve our local craftsmanship, inspire and help others through craft encounters, exhibitions, and collaborations.
What does Salvaje represent?: The savageness behind my workshop’s name is a representation of the innate and intuitive. It relates to the fearless bravery that powers my family and how I approach all things.

María Cano Casas is a rising star: she began her career in 2016 and she started teaching in 2018