When crisis hits, people like to delve into many different mediums to mirror their experiences. When the pandemic hit us, Arti Gidwani turned to sculpting her experiences and tried to transform her thoughts into art that reflected her emotional journey over the last two years. It was a way for Arti to validate the struggles, strengths, and her emotions, and to understand and contemplate this stressful time.

Arti Gidwani (b. 1962) is an artist based in Jakarta and New Delhi, who works with ceramics and pottery. From 1997 to 2001, she studied ceramics and trained under a studio potter in Singapore, after which she worked with a potter in Jakarta for three years starting in 2003. After attending workshops around the world, she began her full-time studio practice in 2005, which she continues to maintain today.

Her inspiration comes from the world around her, and her practice draws from her cultural inheritances from India. She is interested in pottery that has relevance to everyday life, her pieces have humor and reflect and celebrate the joy of living. She believes that clay can be molded into any form and she can tell stories with her forms and sculptural shapes.

For nearly the last two decades, her work has featured in both group and solo exhibitions as well as fashion shows.