Neeti Gokhalay Kheny is a Bengaluru-based artist who fell in love with pottery and started creating ceramic works of art. A graphic designer by profession, she was lured to the world of clay and currently runs a design agency — Second: Design + Media.

Two of her vases were chosen to be exhibited at the 1000 Vases show, which was held in Paris in September. The two works chosen for the show were from her collection, Celebrating Coral.

“The collection draws inspiration from the myriad forms and textures of coral,” says the 36-year-old. “The first was a black vase, crafted in black clay with grog, glaze inside, while the second piece was a white and blue vase in ceramic and stoneware.”

Ayan Gouled Orsini and Francesco Pirrello started an Instagram page called 1000 Vases, where they asked artists from across the world to share images of their vases. Francesco, a photographer from Italy, has been living in Paris for the past 20 years and has been involved in organising exhibitions in the design and art sector in Paris since 2007. He founded 1000 Vases in 2018 as a virtual platform to promote art. Ayan, who comes with a background in literature, communication and marketing, joined 1000 Vases in 2019 and has been curating shows ever since.

Neeti was following their page and shared images of her vases. Neeti’s vases were selected for the show this year, which featured vases from artistes from 46 countries. “The vases were in varied material such as glass and wood.”

Neeti started dabbling in pottery when she was around 18 years old. “It was just a shot to learn to work with my hands. When you apply to a design school, apart from theory, one of the things they ask you to do, is work with your hands. I felt it was good for me to be familiar with the material and I used it as an opportunity to introduce myself to clay.”

A talk by ceramicist Kate Malone in Bengaluru two years ago, inspired Neeti to take ceramics seriously. “She works with hand-building as a technique and my mind was blown with the way she created works of art. Watching her at work was a revelation to me. I realised you do not always need to work with the wheel; you can also build things with your hands.”

Though she was trained in hand building before, Neeti says she was not aware of the possibilities. “It was after Kate’s talk that I got seriously into clay.” Describing her works as sculptural more than functional, Neeti says, “I have strategically stayed away from plates, mugs and bowls as there are enough people who do a great job at creating them. I wanted to focus on artistic endeavours.”

Neeti Gokhalay Kheny at work | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An avid diver, Neeti draws inspiration from her diving trips. “I am inspired by corals, reefs and underwater landscapes. Both the selected works for the 1000 Vases, were inspired by corals. While one was inspired by a specific kind of coral, the other had a more textured approach.”

The show, Neeti says, was during Paris Design Week and there was a lot of international crowd. Though she could not sell her works, Neeti says, “I am happy I got to interact with people who were curious about my work and enquired about them.”

The show gave her the opportunity to see where she stood among other artists. “I saw people’s reaction to my work. That was an enriching experience, especially when, without any write up or explanation, they were able to identify them as being inspired by nature.”

An artist who uses the tactile medium of clay, both as an artistic expression and a catalyst for personal and collective transformation, Neeti says, “Through my work, I invite the viewer to reconnect with nature and reflect on the conflict between humans and nature.”