environment

This world can be compared to our body. If any organ is diseased, the whole bodris affected

- LALAJI

The Earth We Share

In December 2023, ten ceramists and sculptors met to collectively express what it's like to share a world in crisis, through their medium of clay, which is so connected to the Earth. ANANYA PATEL was there to observe the artists in their element, and write about the projects they were working on.

Over a span of two weeks in December, ten ceramists and sculptors from around the world gathered at the Ceramics Center, a notfor-profit studio established in Vadodara in 1998. It was among the first of its kind in India, offering support to artists, and at its heart was Jyotsna Bhatt, the late artist and beloved teacher, who was integral to the evolution of the Ceramic Center and the growth of the community. The center has always operated under an ethos of providing space, infrastructure, and technical expertise to facilitate the experimentation and execution of creative ideas, with a focus on creative expression rather than commercial gain.

These ten artists were the second cohort of the "Remembering Jyotsna Bhatt" camp series in her memory, to bring new voices and perspectives to the center. They united under the theme, "The Earth We Share," collaborating, experimenting and reflecting on the interconnected relationships between humans and the environment, and the issues emerging from geopolitical tension and climate change. The camp culminated in a group exhibition where the artists invited viewers to reflect on the beauty and fragility of the Earth we share. As they worked, artists reflected on their creative practice, on working at the Ceramic Center, on their interpretation of the theme, and on what it means to create art in a collective community setting.