Maro Voulgari

An oblique look at art with 60’s references

On the ring road around Naoussa stands Melissi Delicatessen where, behind local products, jars of honey and bottles of olive oil, there is a small art studio that plays up a host of humble materials. The owner, Maro Voulgari, embroiders old canvases turning them into one-of-a-kind postmodern bags and throw pillows.

“They are references from my childhood,” the owner tells us, “when, in our home back then, my mother’s needlework accompanied the afternoon coffee ritual. I, too, sought out similar canvases later, pulled straight out of the 60’s and the 70’s, with a view to upcycling them winking at bygone days. After all, the idea of recycling has always moved me as, even more than high-end designer items themselves, I am fascinated by their resourceful reuse.

Old embroidered canvas bags, gobelin-stitch and cross-stitch throw pillows, sizeable clay necklaces, colorful pendants and cactus leather earrings make up a refreshingly offbeat collection of surprising pieces based on upcycling. Their bright clear colors, large size, rough unpolished contours and non-repeatability lend the items a touching charm, all of them casting an oblique look at the past only to reinvent it in a fresh new way.”

ΧΟΥΣ collection featuring ceramic necklaces is already being showcased in an array of select boutiques, while the large cactus earrings are winning Paros visitors’ favour making for special gifts. “Handicraft relaxes me” confesses the creator who, alongside the delicatessen, engages in art history and gets her brushes all set for a colour-laden, artistic summer.

Melissi Delicatessen, Naoussa Ring Road, Tel: 22840 55377.