Niki Katsargyri

Niki Katsargyri creates jewelry, alternative blankets, bags, soft toys and decorative ornaments with low cost and eco-friendly. Niki Katsargyri, actually communicates through her creations with her beloved people. She often chooses to create the presents for her people. As a retired woman she really feels the need to communicate with other women in her age and exchange ideas and technics about their artworks. The project focus on her identity as a woman, mother, grandma and retired individual who wants to stay active and creative as she grows up.  She feels really grateful to share her artwork with the Art is Us community.

Balomatou

“Balomatou” is a constantly evolving artwork the last 6 years. The idea of our Art is Us learner, Niki Katsargyri, is to use every little useless piece of fabric, in order to create something useful. The artist makes a reference to her mother, whom till the end of her life tried to offer the best for her family with the least.

The name “Balomatou” comes as an inspiration from the play “La zapatera prodigiosa” of Federico García Lorca, the love story between an old shoemaker and a young woman. The shoemaker had to disguise himself as a puppeteer in order to save his relationship with the young woman.

The word “baloma” in Greek language means “patch”. All these references lead to an overall conclusion of the unity of human beings just as the pieces of the fabrics are united.