"Marmairo" is the voice of marble and was given to our company in its honor.
Marmairo was founded by the 6th generation of marble craftsmen of the Kapiris family, specifically by Despina and Manolis. In our space, you can discover sculptures inspired by the Cycladic spirit. Our collection includes both original artworks and replicas of masterpieces from Cycladic culture, crafted on Naxian marble. Each sculpture is meticulously curated, ensuring that every piece is unique.
ABOUT US
marble is a state of light
Μάρμαρος in ancient Greek is the bright stone
Μαρμαίρω in ancient Greek is the verb shine
A Few Words About Cycladic Civilization
The Cycladic civilization flourished approximately 5,000 years ago in the Aegean and left an indelible mark on the history of art and the human spirit. It is unique in the way it portrays human existence. Unlike other civilizations, it does not depict scenes of war, weapons, armies, or images of violence. At the center of this art, the protagonist is not the warrior, but the Human Being. Cycladic works sculpt a world oriented toward life, celebration, the human form, and human experience. The art of Cycladic civilization was — and remains — a clear mirror of the peaceful side of life.
The female figure dominates Cycladic art with simplicity, directness, and sacredness. A nude figure with folded arms — almost otherworldly in its austerity — carved in white Naxian marble. This figure does not represent authority or power, but creation and fertility itself. She is the mother, the goddess, the origin of life. Alongside her appear figures that bring moments of joy and everyday life to life. We see representations of musicians — the flute player, the harp player — as well as the reveler and the drinker, images that speak of a society that loves music, companionship, shared meals, dance, and celebration. These representations reveal a civilization unafraid to praise life, one that does not deify power or destruction, but joy, art, and the everyday mysticism of existence.
Cycladic figurines are forms of ecstasy, presenting human beings as existing in contact with the infinite, the sacred, and the essential. This is an art deeply poetic and simple, yet profoundly thoughtful, portraying humanity without unnecessary ornamentation — austere, pure, and timeless. There is an ancient truth in the Cycladic way of life — then and now — which does not separate the sacred from the everyday, but unites them through rhythm, life, and community. In the Cyclades, the festival is not merely a custom; it is a worldview. It is the ethos of wholeness, where rhythm becomes the law of the world and the collective transcendence of time, through music, food, intoxication, dance, and movement — as if life itself immortalizes the universe through celebration.
The essence of Cycladic civilization lies in inwardness, a “declaration of peace,” where art becomes a means of transcendence and connection with time. Cycladic civilization does not separate the sacred from lived experience. The everyday becomes ritual, and life itself becomes a form of art, uniting earth and sky — humanity and the universe.
Who We Are
Manolis and Despoina, coming from a family with a long tradition in marble crafting, joined forces to work towards a shared passion. They visioned a space, where everything related to the Naxian marble - from its extraction up to its final transformation into a work of art - can happen simultaneously.
Despina studied at the only artistic marble school in Greece, located on the island of Tinos. Coming from a family with a long tradition in the mining, quarrying and processing of Naxian marble, she pursued the art of marble sculpture. For her, marble is a symbol of the inner strength and resilience of man.
Manolis is focused on the extraction of Naxian marble and the production of Cycladic art. Having years of experience in marble mining, he has developed a keen eye of special pieces of Naxian marble that can be transformed into unique works of art, showcasing the beauty of this exceptional art form.
