Inspired by the Greek poet Matsi Hadjilazarou's words ‘Our poetry is our life / Η ποίηση μας είναι η ζωή’, my artistic and educational endeavours weave connections between self and community, body and topos.

Marianna Karava is an interdisciplinary artist and movement educator (Greece,1982) with academic studies in Biology and Contemporary Dance. Her artistic practice intersects contemporary dance, performance, visual poetry and book arts. She has cultivated a teaching repertoire that includes movement-based practices such as contemporary dance, yoga and pilates, fostering a holistic understanding of the body and its creative potential.

As a dance artist she is primarily interested in improvisation and instant composition. She has curated long-duration improvisation events cultivating spaces that invite playful curiosity and challenge both performers and audiences to actively engage. These performances embrace vulnerability and offer opportunities to reflect on the importance of creating spaces where individuals can authentically belong.

Her writing is in relation to movement - a way to verbally articulate the imagination born of embodied connection. Her work delve into memory driven by the need to constantly reinvent meaning.

As a visual poet, she embraces women's artistry and craft appreciating the wisdom, resilience and adaptability inherent in handmade work. Inspired by the aesthetics of traditional arts, she uses embroidery techniques to create poetic pieces that invite both tactile and contemplative engagement. Her work echoes of all those generations of female artists who have quietly worked over the years with unparalleled dedication.

In recent years she has been living between Chalkida in Greece and Belgrade in Serbia. This nomadic lifestyle, combined with art residencies and collaborations, has allowed her to connect with artists across the Balkans and the wider international community, enriching her artistic praxis.

To read more about movement, poetry and Mediterranean identity : Interview @ Mediterranean Commune*

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