A PORCELAIN GREEK SUMMER: DIMITRA LEVENTI
Through intricate porcelain and nerikomi
techniques, ceramic artist Dimitra Leventi
reinterprets the organic forms of the sea,
creating contemporary sculptures inspired
by the textures and light of the underwater
Greek landscape.
PORTES EDITOR:
How did your journey with clay and ceramics begin?
DIMITRA LEVENTI:
My connection with ceramics began from a deep need to create with my hands and give physical form to memories and emotions. Over time, clay became a very personal language for me. I was especially drawn to porcelain because of its sensitivity and fragility. It is a demanding material that requires patience and precision, while at the same time allowing a certain softness and lightness that I feel deeply connected to.
Much of my work is inspired by memories of childhood summers in Greece, surrounded by the sea. I remember my father collecting sea urchins from the water, and being fascinated by their sculptural forms, textures, and colors. Those memories stayed with me over the years and gradually became part of my artistic vocabulary. Today, sea urchins reappear in my work as symbols of memory, nature, and the emotional landscape of summer.
In three words, describe your art.
Sculptural. Organic. Evocative.
What rituals or processes help you stay creatively connected while working with porcelain?
Working with porcelain requires calmness, concentration, patience, and persistence. Because my work involves many delicate and repetitive details, I spend long hours fully focused on the process. I enjoy this deep concentration because it allows me to connect closely with the material and the form.
Inspiration often evolves while I work, and new ideas naturally emerge through the process itself. What I love most about porcelain is the balance between fragility and precision. That balance keeps me creatively engaged every time I work in the studio.
How do you see your work engaging with broader dialogues in contemporary ceramic art?
I see my work as part of a contemporary approach to ceramics, where traditional materials and techniques can evolve into sculptural and emotionally expressive forms. Although I work with porcelain and nerikomi—techniques with a long ceramic tradition—I am interested in transforming them into a more contemporary and personal visual language. My inspiration often comes from memory, nature, and the sea, but I try to transform these references into sculptural forms that feel both organic and abstract. I am especially interested in the balance between fragility and strength, precision and contemporary aesthetics.
What makes sea urchins a source of inspiration for your work?
Sea urchins inspire me because of the contrast they carry between fragility and protection. I am fascinated by their sculptural structure, symmetry, textures, and intense colors. They are deeply connected to my memories of childhood summers in Greece and moments spent by the sea with my family. I remember my father diving into the water and bringing sea urchins to the surface like small treasures from the seabed. Their unusual beauty, detail, and vibrant colors fascinated me from a very young age. In my work, sea urchins are transformed into sculptural forms connected to memory, emotion, nature, and the atmosphere of the Greek summer landscape that continues to inspire me.
In what ways does the Greek landscape shape the way you create?
I have always felt connected to the sea, and this connection naturally shapes the way I create. The Greek landscape has strongly influenced the way I experience color, light, texture, and form. The intensity of the Aegean blue, the sunlight reflecting on the water, the organic beauty of marine life are all elements that continuously inspire me.
Even today, the Greek summer and the time I spend by the sea during my holidays continue to inspire me emotionally and visually. I feel very connected to the sea during my holidays and this connection naturally appears in my work through sculptural forms inspired by the sea, but also through the balance between detail and minimalism. Greek culture and summer memories are emotionally present in everything I create. Even when my work becomes more abstract, it still carries the atmosphere of the sea, the warmth of light, and the emotional feeling of growing up surrounded by the Greek summer landscape.
Much of my work is inspired by memories of childhood summers in Greece, surrounded by the sea. I remember my father collecting sea urchins from the water, and being fascinated by their sculptural forms, textures, and colors.
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What does your relationship with the sea find its way into the forms of your creations?
My relationship with the sea naturally finds its way into the surfaces and forms of my work. The flowing movement of nerikomi patterns reminds me of water, marine textures, and the rhythm of the sea. The colors I use are deeply inspired by the Greek summer landscape, while the gold details often feel to me like small treasures emerging from the seabed.
Through movement, texture, color, and light I try to capture the emotional atmosphere of the sea and transform it into sculptural form.
What draws you to ceramics as a medium for exploring emotion and sculptural form?
I am interested in creating pieces that communicate atmosphere, memory, texture, and feeling rather than functionality.
For me, ceramics becomes a sculptural language through which I can explore organic forms, fragility, movement, and emotion. Even though the material itself comes from a long ceramic tradition, I like pushing it toward a more contemporary and expressive direction. What interests me most is the emotional and visual presence of a piece—the way it can evoke memories, sensations, and a strong connection with nature and the sea.
How contemporary ceramic artists balance tradition and innovation. How does Greek cultural heritage influence your practice?
Greek cultural heritage influences my work in a subtle but deeply emotional way. I feel connected to the simplicity, balance, and organic beauty that exists in Greek nature, architecture, and artistic tradition.
Although my work is contemporary in its form and expression, I am inspired by the timeless relationship between Greek culture and the sea, light, and natural materials. I enjoy combining traditional ceramic techniques, such as nerikomi and porcelain work, with a more contemporary sculptural language. For me, innovation does not mean moving away from tradition, but transforming it into something personal and emotionally connected to the present.
