Doris Gassmann
born in Schweinfurt, Germany, discovered her love for the Aegean islands at a young age on a sailing trip in 1977. Fascinated by
the beauty, lifestyle and spirituality of the inhabitants, the dream of living and working creatively in the region was born.
After graduating from high school and training as a goldsmith at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie Hanau, then becoming self-employed and establishing herself in
the then emerging scene of jewelry artists and designers in the jewelry market, she turned her dreams into reality and ran a store with her own creations on Naxos in 1986/87 and a workshop on
Mykonos in 1988.
In Germany, she sold her unusual jewelry works for many years through the trade fairs Ambiente/Tendence in Frankfurt and Inhorgenta in Munich, participated in
countless exhibitions together with artists and craftsmen, and is still represented today in selected jewelry galleries.
In 2009, she bought an old half-timbered house in her home town of Ortenberg near Frankfurt, renovated and redesigned it, and set up a restaurant with exhibition facilities. "Das
Geisterhaus" became a cultural highlight in the area and attracted audiences from a wide radius.
The old longing for the Aegean reawakened, and the sale of the house laid the foundation for a new life on Naxos.
Here in the picturesque village of Chalki in the center of the island, she opened her small store "Chalki's Galleraki" in 2020. She sees the name "Galleraki" (small gallery) as a homage to the
fashion designer
Jannis Galatis of Mykonos, who exhibited her work in his gallery of the same name in Little Venice in 1988.
No limits
Doris Gassmann's field of activity goes far beyond goldsmithing. She has always painted and drawn and tried out ever new materials and techniques.
As a creative person, she does not want to set herself any limits except those imposed by physical strength. Thus, for a long time she was engaged in graphic and web design, creating print
graphics and websites for herself and others. Interior design is in her blood, coming from a family of architects, and so she started renovating old houses and redesigning furniture with great
passion on Naxos as well.
For "Chalki's Galleraki" she developed a collection of cushions with hand-printed motifs from the Mediterranean themed world, which she calls "Tripodiotissa", as she is known as
a resident of the village Tripodes, where she lives. These motifs are found on her elaborate mirrors, which she builds mostly of wood, paints and sometimes covers with gold leaf.
links
Jewelry Design:
www.facebook.com/dorisgassmann.schmuckdesign
Chalki´s Galleraki:
www.facebook.com/Chalkis-Galleraki
"Das Geisterhaus":