The history of her native country, particularly the etymology of the Greek language, influences her perspective. Rather than politics in the abstract, she is particularly interested in how individuals arrange and share common spaces as citizens (polites) of today's cities (polis).
Inspired by her family history, with women who could make almost anything with their hands, she uses a variety of materials and time-consuming methods derived from folk art traditions, such as embroidery and paper cutting.
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In his wonderful biographical sketch of Shostakovich, Julian Barnes writes, 'Art is the whisper of history, heard above the noise of time.' I could not describe Maria’s work with any greater accuracy. It is not the grand gesture of installations, fist-thick paint on copious square metres of canvas or ‘in your face’ socio-political critique. Even in her commissioned monumental work, such as the 'Meeting Tiles' in Zevenaar (2001), she avoids the grand gesture and seeks compassion for the world in the precision of her visual power. Or the intervention at the Athens art fair in 2010: a series of vegetables and herbs in pots on the steps of the building, with the title of the work cut out above it as a garland: Growing Hope - in my opinion the main driver of her artistic practice. Whispered hope that will only grow stronger and more beautiful through the patina of time.
Kees Weeda 2020
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A short documentary about the body of works related to crisis in Greece canvas.be