Shaped By Emotion

Ceramic artist Rekha Goyal is as passionate about making her craft accessible to people as she is about creating her own works of art

Tell us about your formative years. How were you drawn to clay?

RG: My earliest memory of working with clay is in an after-school class when I was 12. It must have been fun, because I continued with it. Looking back, I think what got me interested in clay as a medium was that it allowed me to give a physical form to what I was thinking and feeling. What worked for me as a kid still holds true today.

What role has formal design education played in your career?

RG: After a rigorous entrance exam, getting into Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai for a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art felt like I had arrived. But the journey from what you want to create to creating it is much longer than five years of art school. A formal education in art school has laid the foundation for me to continue learning. It has helped me develop an ethos towards my work that I think makes my work honest and wholesome.

I also went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Art in Architecture in London to learn more about art in the public sphere. The course gave me a good understanding of how art has been incorporated into the public sphere, its purpose and impact. There is a reason why some of the most successful cities in the world value art in their public arenas and it was fascinating to study this; it really strengthened my approach on art projects. Architects and designers appreciate this thought. Satisfying multiple criteria makes such projects challenging, but that is what I enjoy.

Is there a ‘Rekha Goyal’ signature style? Tell us about it.