A #ScarboroughSpotlight on Mariana Akemy

Under the Sea (2024)

Ceramic vase with hand painted illustration, underglaze and clear glaze.

This month, we’re pleased to feature Mariana Akemy, a Scarborough-based ceramic artist, as our Scarborough Spotlight.

Mariana Akemy is a Brazilian ceramic artist and the maker behind Art by Akemy, based in Scarborough.

For more than a decade, she worked in corporate marketing and became almost too good at moving quickly. Eventually, she began to wonder what all that speed was for. Clay brought her back to curiosity, intuition, and the reminder that life is more than paying bills and clearing a to-do list. We are also here to be surprised.

Ceramics are slower, but they aren’t easy.The medium asks for planning, physical effort, deep focus, and a willingness to fail. To shape an idea into clay, her body and mind have to show up at the same time.

Her work often begins with something personal: a song, a flower, a memory of her childhood neighbourhood, coffee with someone she loves, or a character that has lived in her imagination for years. She makes functional pieces meant to join everyday rituals, alongside playful objects inspired by anime and imagined worlds.

Mariana wants her work to become part of the life we almost forget to notice: quiet mornings, shared meals, nature walks, laughter, and peaceful moments alone. She hopes clay keeps making her both a better artist and a more awake person, and that the objects she makes help others feel a little more present in their own lives.

“I want my work to live with people rather than wait for a special occasion. A mug can become part of a morning, a bowl part of a shared meal, and a sculptural piece part of a memory. I also hope my references to Brazil, anime, and ordinary life create small openings for conversation. Sometimes an object is enough to make two strangers tell each other a story.”

Pirituba (2025)

Ceramic pot with hand-painted illustration, underglazes and clear glaze.

“As an immigrant, being a creative in Scarborough means I don’t have to choose between where I came from and where I am now. I can bring my memories, humour, and references from Brazil into my work, and they can meet the stories of people from all over the world. Scarborough makes creativity feel less like entering one particular scene and more like joining a conversation that is already happening in many languages. I feel welcomed here, but I also feel changed by what I learn from the people around me.”

Voltei Pra Mim (2026)

Ceramic Vase with hand-painted illustration, underglazes and glaze.

Portugal Memory (2026)

Ceramic cup with hand-painted illustration, underglazes and glaze.

Mariana is currently working on a new collection and will be sharing the process, upcoming releases, and future market dates through @artbyakemy.