Firing her imagination
An emerging Nepali artist plays with fire to unlock the creative potential of clay sculpturesA cosy art space in Thamel comes alive this month with soft light filtering through glass windows and settling gently on ceramic works that radiate both silence and strength.
Much like specks of dust shimmering in a sunbeam, fragments of uneven mirrors scattered at the centre of the exhibition catch fleeting reflections of passersby that force visitors to reflect on life and society.
From a distance, the mirrors resemble playful, anime-style sunny side ups in bright shades. It may look random, but on closer inspection the meticulous craftsmanship reveals itself in every curve, giving more permanent shape and form to the artist’s fingers on the original clay.
Alongside are cups, vases, and plates adorned with delicate sketches of animals, houses, and trees. Some have inscriptions drifting across surfaces like floating letters. The vases rise in varying heights, dressed in muted greens, while some are blended with soft browns and yellows.
“Ceramics have taught me patience in unpredictability,” says ceramic artist Aishworya Shakya, 26, whose work is currently on display at Dalai-la gallery in Thamel.
Shakya began with simple drawings, but as she delved deeper into her studies of fine arts, she began exploring new concepts and methods of idea formation. She found herself increasingly drawn to the expressive potential of ceramics.
“Clay is flexible and transformative, and the process of turning it into a hardened form is transformative,” she explains. “For me, it’s about free forms, feelings, and the intangible, which often take shape in abstract ways through ceramics.”
The writings on her finished ceramics are deeply rooted in her academic explorations of personal history. Shakya contemplated family relationships, and transformed them into patterns and inscriptions on clay — giving her private meditations an extension on life and lessons.
“It is never fixed what I want to make when I begin,” says Shakya. “There might be a frame, but never anything too specific. My forms come through an intuitive process. If I try to meticulously plan everything, it never works out, so I just let it flow.”
What begins as an imagined idea often transforms through the process, shaped by the unpredictability of clay and fire, keeping her grounded and open-minded.
Shakya’s works usually undergo three rounds in the furnace: beginning with bisque firing, followed by layers of engobe underglaze mixed with pigments, which she applies in three coats before the second firing. Finally, she adds the glaze before the final firing. The most demanding part is actually in preparing and mixing the clay, removing bubbles, and refining it so the final product has at least some predictability, she says.
The title Burned and Being comes from the ceramic-making process itself. “But more than just the process, it is an embodiment of my existence. As a person learning to take up space, I am filling my surroundings with things that inspire and align with me to create a sense of being and take a stand for myself,” Shakya explains.
The artist is now looking ahead to expand her art beyond vases and mirrors to explore more sculptural forms.
Burned and Being
Till 30 September
11am to 7pm
Dalai-la Art Space, Thamel