Iranian-born artist shares skills in Franklin

While others make war, sculptress Sha Ganjali from the Ara Design Studio will be making art, teaching at Waiuku’s Stable Light Gallery on April 11.

Ganjali fell in love with clay aged 10 while living in Tehran, Iran. She has a background in interior design but began exploring other artforms and eventually found herself working with clay.

She describes her art as both intuitive and unfiltered. Her work is made by hand and focuses on form and texture, with each piece intended to evoke emotion.

“My work is driven by emotion in the moment,” she explains. “Each piece becomes a type of portrait of what I am experiencing at the time. My emotional state shapes everything, from how I handle the clay, how much risk I take, how patient I am.”

Ganjali works mostly with my hands, which she says are her most important tools. The resulting forms that emerge are organic and unplanned.

“I don’t sketch or prepare beforehand. I rarely know what I am making, size, or even the final colour or texture at first. It is a very intuitive process. I respond to how I feel, and the clay responds in return. Every piece carries a story because it comes from something real, something lived.”

While she has explored other mediums in the past, Ganjali has regularly returned to clay as her preferred medium.

“There is a depth to it, a kind of connection that feels instinctive,” she says. “It is the only medium where I feel like I can fully express myself.”

Through her workshops, Ganjali has become fond of teaching.

“Watching people go through their own process with clay, often discovering something they did not expect, is quite special,” she says.

“I have had people continue after the workshops, sending me photos of their work and asking questions, which is very humbling. If I can introduce people to that kind of grounding experience, even in a small way, then it feels worthwhile.”

While she is busy running workshops, Ganjali is also seeking a permanent studio location.

“I would love to have a dedicated space where more people can be introduced to working with clay and experience it for themselves,” she adds.

Ganjali will be sharing her skills during a free sculpting workshop on April 11, 10am–1pm, at the Stable Light Gallery.