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

Marianna Karava (b. 1982, Chalkis, Greece) is an interdisciplinary artist and movement educator working across visual poetry, book arts, performance, and dance. Central to her practice are site-specific creation and embodied forms of storytelling.

Her background in dance and improvisation informs an ongoing attention to process, repetition, and presence, often shaping the way she approaches visual and material work. Alongside her artistic practice, she teaches contemporary dance, yoga, and pilates, cultivating a holistic understanding of the body as a source of awareness and creative knowledge.

Her writing and visual poetry emerge from movement and tactile processes. Through embroidery and other handicraft techniques, she explores the intersection of body, language, and material, foregrounding women’s artistry and the cultural memory embedded in craft traditions. This handmade, ritual-oriented approach functions both as an intimate gesture and a connective practice.

In recent years, she has adopted a nomadic lifestyle. Through residencies and collaborations across the Balkans and the wider international community, she continues to develop her artistic practice in close dialogue with diverse places and communities.