Maria Migadi

Maria Migadi opens her own magic cabinet which stores her love for poetry, music, painting and sculpture.

My favourite things are:

1. My piano
2. My ipad
3. My notebook
4. My favourite books
5. A pink vintage radio
6. A Chess board
7. A Back gammon
8. Dominoes

Through the objects that surround me, I relive my memories. When I see my piano for example, I think of my grandad, who bought it for me, and the love he lavished on with. When I listen to music on my pink radio, I think of the summer I spent in Cannes working at the Opera Gallery and the way I made my spartan hotel room feel like home. The pink radio and a vase full of flowers were my pride and joy.

When I was at school, I was obsessed with meticulously looking after my prized possessions. I stored the letters I exchanged with my friends from camp in a big box, along with my favourite comics, magazines and photos. As I grew older and moved repeatedly, many of those things got lost and I feel a piece of me went with them. However, I try to keep in mind that memories mean more than things. My magic cabinet is every diary I can use to write down something about my life.

My magic cabinet stores my love for poetry, music, painting and sculpture. That is hardly a secret…My real secrets are some big ups and downs I’ve had, which through art become something you can tame and then transform into life lessons.

I was always fascinated by the stories behind cabinets of curiosities.

As part of a History of Art course I attended at Christie’s in London, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, where I had the chance to see various cabinets up close, on which we had to write and essay.

I wrote about a cabinet belonging to a Dutch merchant that lead me to research the exotic objects and fine jewellery that European merchants brought back from their trips. Many of these items were gifts for their spouses. Back then, if you had objects made from rare coral oral or ivory, you could show off to your guests. These rare items were indicative of your status in society.

I have always looked after my favourite books, the ones I return to again and again, like “Ascesis” by Kazantzakis and “Carte Blanche” by Elytis. I have also kept a notebook with excerpts from these books which I have been trying to memorize from a young age.

My quest to understand, even in the slightest, the reason we are on this earth is my life’s goal. Art and literature are how I keep reaching for further understanding and enlightenment.

I keep my favourite things in different parts of my house and mind. We live in a time when the entire world could be our magic cabinet. I used to collect seashells from the beaches I visited and kept them in little glass bottles so I could always travel there in my mind. These days all I need to do is look up these beaches online and enjoy the multitude of photographs and videos available.

We live in a time when the entire world could be our magic cabinet.

These objects help me look inwards, to focus on my thoughts and what my heart is telling me. I maybe overdo it from time to time. I would prefer they just transported me straight to the south of Crete.

When I was little, I was lucky enough to spend my summers in Crete, in the Lasithi region. We were carefree, played with loads of kids in village squares and riding our bikes. One of the most entertaining pass-times was collecting discarded bottle tops in the street. We awarded each other points depending on the amount and type of bottle tops found. We didn’t understand it was a form of upcycling and we certainly never considered keeping those bottle tops so we could fill a cabinet that would remind us how something that simple could make a moment so magical. I had some great times on the island of Spetses too as well as at an overseas camp but nowhere was quite like Crete. The beauty of the place, its flavours and the feeling of being so carefree mean it simply doesn’t compare with anywhere else.

My favourite nook in the house is where my piano is.

I have been lucky enough to have received some beautiful, as well as meaningful, gifts in my life. The one that really stands out came from a person who has given me so much. It’s the bouquet from my best friend’s wedding, which instead of tossing in the air like tradition would dictate, she simply handed to me with her love and best wishes.

I have good luck charms that remind me of my faith in the good in the world and these objects change from time to time.

Maria Migadi’s favourite Greek designers and artists:

-Fashion brand Zeus & Dione
-Fashion designer Ioanna Kourbella
-Costarellos fashion house
-Zolotas jewellery
-Ceramist and designer Thomas Kotsigiannis

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Maria Migadi is an independent Arts and Crafts professional. She holds a two-year diploma in Art History from Christie’s Education in London, a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Art History from UCL and a Master of Arts degree from SOAS (graduated in 2005 with Merit). Maria has fifteen years of professional experience in the international art market. She has worked as an art advisor in major auction houses and galleries in London, Monaco, and Cannes, and has organised international exhibitions. Maria consults and curates for major art collections worldwide, as well as in her homeland Greece. She manages Martixart a leading boutique art advisory business.