ARTIST PROFILE
London-based ceramic artist and sculptor whose practice explores the human condition and its relationship with the natural world. Working primarily with porcelain and clay. Maria combines hand-building and casting with surface, firing and installation techniques. Her work has been presented through exhibitions, residencies, public art projects and community-led practice in the UK and internationally.
Maria’s work is concerned with the relationship between humanity and the natural world, often using strange metamorphoses, juxtaposition and surreal imagery to create a sense of wonder and reflection. Porcelain is a recurring material for its combination of luminosity, translucency, strength and fragility. Her wider practice includes public art, site-specific installations, commissions and community workshops.
Invisible (closed accordion)
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
- 2005-08 BA (Hons) Ceramics, Camberwell College of Arts, London
- 2003-04 HNC Public Arts, Barnet College, London
- 2001-03 BTEC Level 4 Ceramics, Hackney Community College, London
- 2000-01 Art Portfolio Preparation, Hackney Community College, London
- 1993-97 BA Special Education & Speech Therapy (PGCE), Universidad La Salle, Spain
SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS & RESIDENCIES
- 2025 Residency Supervisor & Translator, Terrasigillata, Avelino Carrasco Studio, Spain
- 2021 American Toby Jug Museum acquired “Save the NHS Toby Jug”, Permanent collection
- 2019 Community Mural Designer & Organiser, Redbridge Institute, London
- 2019 Terrasigillata Residency, Avelino Carrasco Studio, Spain
- 2017 Ceramic Residency with Megumu Horiuchi, Japan
- 2016 International Ceramics Mural: Let’s meet – Wroclaw, Poland
- 2013 Selected Artist, Moscow Art Biennale, Museum of Contemporary History, Russia, Moscow
- 2012 Residency at Artist Union Latvia, Latvia
- 2009 Residency at Anadolu University, Turkey
- 2009 Zelli Porcelain Award Exhibition, London
- 2004 Residency at Sargadelos Ceramics Factory, Spain
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (present to 2008)
- 2026 Hackney Arts Week, “Shine On The Green”, London
- 2026 Avebury Art, Sculpture in the Garden, National Trust, UK
- 2025 Hoxton Ceramics Pop-Up, The Flower Factory, London
- 2025 Avebury Art, Sculpture in the Garden, National Trust, UK
- 2023 Solo Exhibition, “The Light of the Past into the Future”, Clink Street Ceramics, London
- 2023 Margate Ceramics, Turner Contemporary, UK
- 2022 The Wild Collective, OmVed Gardens, Highgate, London
- 2022 Myth and Adornment, Susan Supercharge, Cabinet of Wondrous Things, UK
- 2021 Avebury Art, Sculpture in the Garden, National Trust, UK
- 2021 Asymmetric Movements. Riga Porcelain Museum, Latvia
- 2019 Avebury Art, Sculpture in the Garden, UK
- 2018 “Time Warp”, Curator & Exhibiting Artist, Espacio Gallery, London
- 2018 Fringe Arts Bath, Radical Social Practice Show, Bath, UK
- 2017 Ceramic & Colour, “Crawling the Amusing Skin”, Arguilla, Italy
- 2015 Surface, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, UK
- 2014 Glimmer of Hope, Cannon Street Station, London
- 2014 Waste Agency, Platform-7, London
- 2014 Small Porcelain Forms, Riga Porcelain Museum, Latvia
- 2013 Moscow Art Biennale, “Roots & Growth”, Moscow
- 2013 Hermès Window Displays, UK, collaboration with Tony Hornecker
- 2013 Take It or Leave It, Spanish Artists in London, The Art House, London
- 2012 Celebration: The Big Picture, Forman’s Smoke House Gallery, London
- 2011 Parallax Art Fair, Pall Mall Gallery, London
- 2011 Solo Exhibition, Mazchenik Ar, Etcetera Gallery, London
- 2010 Muerto de Amor, Spanish Artists in London, The Bahvan Gallery, London
- 2010 A Party for Penguins, The Penguin Factory, Vienna
- 2009 Islington Contemporary Art & Design Fair, London
- 2009 Group Exhibition, Anadolu University Gallery, Eskişehir, Turkey
- 2008 Anonymous Drawings, Kunstraum Kreuzberg Bethanien, Berlin
- 2008 English Translations, Sala Naos, Spain
- 2008 Solo Exhibition, Stables Gallery, London
PUBLICATIONS
- 2017 International Exhibition of Small Porcelain 2006–2015, Latvia
- 2013 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Exhibition Book, Moscow – 500 Figures in Clay, Vol. 2, Paperback
- 2013 Take It or Leave It, Exhibition Catalogue
- 2013 Maria Alvarez Echenique: Ceramic and Sculpture, Catalogue
- 2010 Sabine Berchtold, Ein Fest für Pinguine / A Party for Penguins
- 2010 Spanish Artists in London, Muerto de Amor, El Ibérico Review
- 2010 The Hackney Utopian Art Collective, Small Screams of Communities, Interview, Humanize Magazine
- 2009 International Symposium and Exhibition of Overglaze Paintings, Anadolu University, Turkey, Catalogue
- 2008 Visions in Clay, The Guide, A Harrow Observer Publication
- 2008 English Translations, Cervantes Institute of London & Sala Naos, Santander
SELECTED PRACTICE AREAS
- Ceramic sculpture & porcelain
- Public art & site-specific installation
- Mural design & community art
- Residencies, workshops & artist education
- Curatorial and collaborative projectsInternational exhibitions and cultural exchange
SELECTED INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY
- Spain
- Poland
- Latvia
- Turkey
- Italy
- Germany
- Austria
- Japan
- MexicoRussia
CLOSE TABS
Recent Exhibition
An Investigation Of These Perilous Times: The Sculptures Of Maria Alvarez Echenique
Selected Exhibitions
