Hala Matta is a Lebanese ceramist born in 1970. She lived in Paris for twenty five years. She completed her graduate studies in Paris,where she earned a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the Sorbonne. Matta worked in the banking and retail industries for 20 years. She held different key positions in Louis Vuitton Paris, Dubai, and Lebanon including marketing for the Middle East and India, and opening the Louis Vuitton store in downtown Beirut.

In pursuit of a more personal and creative path, Matta made a bold career shift, leaving the corporate world behind to follow her passion for ceramics. She undertook intensive training with master ceramists Nathalie Khayat and Nevil Salha. She later studied with ceramic artist Samar Mogharbel at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Her artistic journey led her to open her own studios in Beirut in 2015 and Paris in 2021.

Throughout her career, Matta has refined her craft through various prestigious workshops, including those at Tortus in Copenhagen and Porret Pastore pottery school in Fayoum, Egypt. She mastered Raku and Naked Raku techniques with renowned ceramicists Theodoros Galigalidis and Marilena Michopoulou in Greece, even building her own Raku kiln. Her expertise also spans wheel throwing, hand building, coiling, and slab techniques.

Initially focusing on utilitarian objects like bowls, vases, and lamps, Matta soon shifted her practice towards more artistic expressions. She currently focuses on decorative wall panels, vividly glazed stoneware totem poles, masks, and plates with intricate, refined graphics. Over time, she moved beyond the realm of functional pottery, embracing the artistic potential of ceramics to create sculptural works. Through the freedom offered by the Raku technique, Matta transcends geographic and temporal boundaries, crafting pieces that speak to a universal artistic language.

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