Hala Matta spent about 25 years in Paris working in banking and retail, including at Louis Vuitton, before turning to clay. She took intensive courses in Beirut with Nathalie Khayat and Nevil Salha, studied with Samar Mogharbel at the Lebanese American University, and trained in raku and naked raku in Greece. In 2015 she opened Namika Atelier, a collaborative pottery studio in Beirut, and later built her own raku kiln. Raku firing gives her pieces their crackled, textured surfaces. She throws on the wheel and also hand-builds with coils and slabs, making colorful vases, glazed pots, candle holders, plates and stacked totems, as well as tables, mirrors and wall lights that pair stoneware with cast brass. Her work was part of House of Today's Ceramics from Lebanon show and is held by Saleh Barakat Gallery.
Namika Atelier at a glance
- Studio opened in Beirut in 2015
- Specializes in raku and naked raku firing
- Hala Matta built her own raku kiln
- Work held by Saleh Barakat Gallery and the Boghossian Foundation
Who is behind Namika Atelier
- Hala Matta (Founder and ceramicist). Source: salehbarakatgallery.com