Shirin Mehta Notes. Styling by Sarah Rajkotwala. Art direction by Aishwaryashree
I am inevitably attracted to pottery. Is it because I often think that these clay objects are taken from the dust we are made of? Is it because these things connect me with the world itself, with the real human creation, with death and re-creation? Or is it because the utensils that were originally designed for storing food and water are nutritious, which represent important things in human life? All of this, yes, as well as the skill with which they are made. And perfectionism is often found in the intricately crafted silhouettes. Is there nothing more difficult to work with in the mud – to clean your hands and paint things to accomplish your will?
The barrels of barrels that survived in the Indus Valley and the Harappan civilization have revealed stories of lives we could not have imagined. These pieces connect us with the past in a clear way as the potter’s skill continues to grow while the pottery is one of the most common handicrafts in the world. Almost every region of India has its own traditional pottery and its own group of master potters.
However, we find modern ceramic experts who have elevated working with clay to a new level, inspired by various designs such as chicken legs and human noses in nature with Roman words. Appearance moves in cognition, distortions and angles are reflected by everyday ideas. The silhouettes of traditional pots and pans are distorted, and left unattended, in order to recognize new colors. Functionality may no longer be necessary in some of these creatures while others remain very useful at peak but unpredictable form. The artists measure the art, volume, color, glaze, design and more to come up with their own variations. The artwork, in their own hands, is run in art even though nature evokes the feeling of rapture. Good quote from potter Latika Nehra in an Instagram post: “I want to be in this fun, lost place right now, fully involved in the making – to hear it often.” Or, quoting another quote from sculptor Puja Rao: “I see sculpture as ‘excavating’ something that ‘already exists’ by removing unnecessary – then. And inside, with each piece, things start to get easier …
Verve talks to five ceramic professionals whose work we love….
Latika Nehra; Berlin, Jaipur
Puja Rao; Bengaluru
Rajvi Mehta; Bengaluru
Rekha Goyal; Mumbai
Nandini Chandavarkar; Delhi, Himachal Pradesh
