Meet Martina Farrugia, The Maltese Artist Who Is Pursuing Ceramic Art In The Netherlands
In our digital age, it’s often refreshing to see artists combining a multitude of practices, pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques.
Martina Farrugia, who comes from an educational background of History of Art, Archeology and Digital Art, has been doing just that – while experimenting with homeware ceramics.
Lovin Malta sat down with Martina, who can quickly be described as a book designer, a photographer, and even more recently, a ceramic artist, who has been residing in Rotterdam for the last two years.
So, who is Martina Farrugia?
Martina is a 24-year-old artist and designer, originally from Malta but currently living in Rotterdam (NL).
Coming from a background of History of Art and Archaeology, she recently graduated with a Bachelors’ in Digital Arts, at the University of Malta.
“I have been living in Rotterdam for almost 2 years, working for Shimmer and MaMA, both of these places are exhibition spaces based in Rotterdam. I work as an exhibition host with MaMA and I’m the press distributor of Shimmer.”
“When I am not at work, I usually go to my ceramics studio, which is located in the centre. The studio is a space where I can experiment with clay and create more homeware ceramics.”
What are you mostly focused on right now?
“My current practice is to try and combine my artistic research with my homeware design. I felt that in the past, I used to separate my photography and book design from the ceramic practice.”
Her current goal at this point in time is to explore both of these themes together, somewhat joining them.
“From my recent rebranding of Martina Farrugia Studio, I really enjoyed combining my photography and design skills in the promotion of objects and social media content.”
When did the exploration of ceramics and pottery begin?
“I started to explore ceramics in the summer of 2021. My partner had gotten me a voucher with Space for Clay for my birthday and I managed to get three months of wheel-throwing practice before moving to The Netherlands.”
Moving to a whole new country, during the pandemic and trying to find a ceramic studio was quite tricky for Martina, but luckily, she managed to find her current studio a few months into her move.
“Having a space for myself made me realise that I had to also teach myself new techniques, be it about clay, glazing, firing, etc.. but Rotterdam has a large community of ceramists and I felt very much welcome.”
“I could seek help within the community and it’s truly been a welcoming experience.”
Martina’s journey as a ceramic artist
“In the beginning, I was still trying to explore my visual style with ceramics so you’ll find that most of my pieces from the start of my journey look quite different from my recent works.”
Martina also expressed how it’s quite rewarding to sometimes look back at your work and see the progress you’ve made during the process.
“I had quite a few markets in Malta and The Netherlands and also two collective exhibitions here in Rotterdam which was the first time I included ceramic pieces in my artistic research (Mother’s Archive and a.k.a MaMA).”
“Throughout these past two years, I’m also so thankful for the support I have received. Especially since this journey started right after graduating from my Bachelor’s degree, which is often a confusing time of finding oneself and pursuing new jobs.”
Her work is often inspired by the importance of narrative, as well as the acts of collecting and archiving.
“The first time I explored such influences was in my Bachelor’s graduation show “In Reenactment”. The thesis focused on compiling different forms of information, in different states: found objects consisting of images, letters, videos, jewellery, and garments. A virtual digital environment was constructed to preserve the found objects, building a fictional narrative in the process.”
“Through my current work, I still feel that the ‘archive’ and ‘acts of collecting’ are still very much present.”
“Something I still keep dear as a reference is the photographs they would show us of dug-up artifacts during the time I studied Archaeology. The objects I create now seem to resemble these ‘forgotten’ objects, as if ready to be put into use once again.”
“What inspires me to keep doing this is to constantly gain knowledge on my medium. With each object I create, I learn something new about clay. Be it from a theoretical, scientific, and historical background.”
Upcoming plans?
“My next homeware ceramics market will be in Malta with Nice Things on the 13th of May at Cafe Riche in Birgu.”
“Apart from that, I will continue to make homeware ceramics at a slower pace, giving more attention to research. I plan on hosting some workshops in my studio at the end of this year and possibly applying for funding for upcoming exhibitions.”
You can check out and purchase Martina’s homeware ceramics via Instagram and read all about her artistic practice via her website.
Images credit: Justine Ellul
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