Nazar battu is a 12 inches (h) x 10 inches (w) piece of Ceramic Artwork made with stoneware clay by Shimona Ghosh for Clay in Common Project, Indian Ceramics Triennale x India Art Fair.
Nazar Battu was on display in Delhi- as part of the Clay in Common Project at India Art Fair from 1-4 February 2024. And thereafter, at the Indian Ceramics Triennale till 31st March.
Exploring Internal & External Realities through Clay
The front of the pot is a deconstructed eye. It represents the external world.
And the back of the pot represents the internal world. It is an abstract landscape with a pink crescent moon and a wave. I wanted to represent how I experience emotions, having an emotional authority in human design- in waves.
Much like this piece, I feel like all of us have an internal world which is influenced by our external world. And the environment of our internal world forms the lens for how we view the external world. And this artwork is an attempt to understand and explore this duality.
How I created Nazar battu
The pot has been made using the coil and pinch technique. And the different elements on the pot have been made with slab work, except the eye (which is a pinch pot). I wanted to represent the three main techniques of handbuilding- pinching, slab work, coiling.
Because the pot has primarily been made by pinching and coiling, the entire pot has a lovely texture, which lends itself beautifully to the dual tone of the blue-black glaze covering it.
I’ve named this artwork Nazar battu because it’s a totemic piece to ward off evil eye. And since it is a totemic piece, I have used bright colours for the different elements in it.
Coral for the crescent moon and the circular dots, that are like a dotwork tattoo around the eye. Bright green for the linear lines representing the eye lashes. White for the splashes of water from the wave, which itself is blue-black with turquoise speckles. The eye has also been covered in the same blue-black as the wave. And lastly, a touch of cobalt blue to make the eye look like an evil eye.
I honestly don’t think pictures do this piece of handmade statement pot justice. It is truly a 360° experience.
This piece is not available for sale, but if you want a custom ceramic statement piece for your space, just fill in this contact form and let’s create beauty together!