Enjoy the portfolio of ceramic artist Shahin Massoudi, whose rustic and textured vessels reflect her Iranian heritage. View more by visiting her website.
“Land #2″ ceramic, 13″ x 14″ x 7”
After moving to Southern California, where the landscape so closely resembles parts of Iran, I was inspired to work in sculpture and ceramic for the first time. The move to clay as my medium further connected me, at least spiritually, with my homeland. Creating with clay (literally: land) became the beginning of a whole new chapter in my art career.
“Poet, Poetry, Pottery” ceramic, 10″ x 12″ x 4.5″
In a short amount of time, my sculptures and conceptual ceramic vessels became recognized by fellow artists and collectors alike. I have participated in group shows, received awards from juried shows, had work acquired by permanent museum collections, and received scholarships to further pursue my studies.
“Distorted Vessel” ceramic, 18″ x 10.5″ x 8.5″
When I shifted my art-making focus from 2D to 3D, I accessed a world of expression that I had been searching for. Instead of trying to represent the ideas of rootedness, homeland, and belonging through visual means alone, I could work with the actual material that is the source of those things: earth.
“Tall textured vessels” ceramic, 18″ x 5″ x 4″ and 15.5″ x 4.5″ x 4″
When working with clay, it feels as if I hold those ideas in my hands and in collaboration with them, shape my pieces. This is why I work to maintain the character of clay in all my work.
“Rustic Vessels” (triptych) ceramic, 9″ x 23″ x 10″
Usually I do not hide the clay with glaze, instead amplifying its textures through a variety of techniques. These textures reflect the earth, clay, rock, pebbles, shorelines, vistas of my youth in Iran.
“Sketch of nature” ceramic, 20″ x 14″ x 8″
The fact that the clay I work with is not actually from my home country reinforces my feeling of global interconnectivity. Iran is here in my work, even though my work and I are distant from it.
“Vessel” ceramic, 12″ x 5″ x 4″
Holding my vessels in my hands as I work on them gives me a sense of belonging that I yearn for in my life.
“Off-center Form, the Engraved Poem of a Call to Scream” ceramic, 14.5″ x 9.5″ x 2.5″
Two final sources of inspiration that are always on my mind: First, there is a culture of poetry in Iran. We are deeply poetic in the way we express ourselves. Longing and nostalgia are integral parts of Iranian poetry.
“Land #3, ceramic, 4.5″ x 2.5″ x 5.2″ and 4″ x 3″ x 5”
Secondly, I work as an art teacher. I strive to give my elementary and preschool students a space for unrestrained discovery, teaching them that thinking like an artist is a way of life. In turn, my students’ pure artistic expression is an endless source of inspiration for my own work.
Shahin Massoudi invites you to follow on Instagram.