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Faye Papargyropoulou
Faye Papargyropoulou left a 20-year career in advertising to dedicate herself to creating unique pieces that challenge traditional standards of beauty and functionality
NEW YORK — Greek designer Faye Papargyropoulou, winner of the Ceramic Brussels Art Prize 2026, is devoted to creating contemporary ceramic pieces that challenge conventional concepts of form and perfection. After two decades as a creative director at major advertising agencies, she founded Ceramic 47 in 2020, a studio located in Athens where she develops works characterized by intentional deformation and the celebration of irregularity.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
The artist’s work has gained international recognition by questioning traditional aesthetic standards. Her creations explore the beauty of the imperfect, transforming what would be considered a defect into the central element of artistic expression. Each piece produced in the studio represents an investigation into the boundaries between utility and contemplation, between functional design and pure art.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
Papargyropoulou’s journey began in 1992, when she entered art and design studies with a scholarship in industrial design. For twenty years, she built a solid career in the advertising market, taking responsibility for the image and communication of Greek and international brands. Alongside her agency work, she developed independent personal projects in the areas of art, fashion and interior design.
In 2020, the artist made a decision that would mark a new chapter in her professional trajectory. She founded ABOUT: Creative Agency before dedicating herself entirely to ceramics, opening Ceramic 47. The change reflected a growing need for connection with nature and a search for more tactile and three-dimensional artistic expression.
Creative Process and Philosophy
The Athenian studio functions as an experimental space where Papargyropoulou combines her design training with technical mastery in ceramics. The artist describes herself as obsessed with the deformation of forms, a process that results in extraordinary and unconventional figures. “I create unique art pieces, made to be appreciated,” she states.
The ceramicist’s creative approach questions the traditional relationship between aesthetics and utility. By celebrating the unpredictable nature of clay, her works invite the public to reflect on pre-established standards of beauty. The irregular forms challenge the viewer’s perception, proposing a new way of understanding contemporary design.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
According to the artist, contemporary ceramics that explore altered forms represent a fundamental questioning of conventional ideas of perfection. The work encourages the public to transcend merely practical aspects of ceramic art and appreciate the artistic potential of irregularities. “I invite people to find beauty in the unexpected and to embrace the imperfections inherent in life,” she explains.
Conceptual Project
Among the works developed at Ceramic 47, the Fragility to Stability Project stands out, which investigates the relationship between vulnerability and resilience. The project proposes reflection on dependence and mutual support through sculptures that represent two complementary figures: one fragile and translucent like glass, the other solid and firm like stone.
The pieces lean toward each other, neither completely independent, each in precarious balance between falling and being supported. The interaction reveals the cyclical nature of human existence: in moments of strength, one supports the vulnerable; in moments of fragility, one receives support from those who were once supported.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
“Strength and vulnerability are not opposites, but intertwined partners in constant exchange of roles,” observes the ceramicist. The project questions: who supports whom? The answer, according to Papargyropoulou, is that both need each other to stand upright, persevere and create the harmony called stability.
International Recognition
The work developed in the Athenian studio has gained recognition beyond Greek borders. Between January 21 and 25, the artist was celebrated as winner of the Ceramic Brussels Art Prize 2026, a distinction that confirmed the relevance of her artistic research in the international contemporary ceramics scene.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
The award represented validation of the conceptual proposal that permeates all the artist’s work: the idea that imperfections do not constitute flaws, but rather characteristics that confer uniqueness and authenticity to creations. Each piece functions as a unique expression of innovation and artistic mastery.
Ceramic 47 consolidates itself as a space where past and present converge. Papargyropoulou uses traditional ceramic techniques to create profoundly contemporary works, reflecting appreciation for art, nature and current design. The experience accumulated over decades of creative work in advertising and industrial design manifests itself in the conceptual sophistication of each piece produced.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree
The Greek artist’s trajectory demonstrates that career transitions, when motivated by a genuine search for personal expression and connection with deeper purposes, can result in significant contributions to established artistic fields, renewing languages and expanding aesthetic possibilities.
Website: www.ceramicfortyseven.gr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceramicfortyseven/
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Carree : https://www.instagram.com/sophiecarreepr/
