About

“Before clarity, there are questions. Before emotions, there is the turmoil of silence. Clay works in much the same way –before simplicity of form there is complexity of the process; of translating emotion and thought. This is the crux of my work today –channelizing, sculpting and refining these complexities to achieve the dynamism of simplicity.”

Rekha Goyal’s body of work is emotive, scientific and deeply rooted in her Indian heritage. Her work will often go beyond the physicality of clay as she views clay as a profound life mentor. She is inspired by the everyday nuances of life; be it conversations, nature or the subtleties of her own emotions.

She believes that art serves as a conduit for both introspection and connection.

Rekha Goyal is a Mumbai based ceramic artist. Over the last 25 years, her arts practice has consisted of site-specific installations, murals and art objects, collaborative projects in the crafts and design. She graduated in Fine Arts from Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai and has an MA in Art in Architecture from London.

Beyond her individual practice, Rekha’s impact extends to the community through her establishment of The Pottery Lab, a community studio in Mumbai. Here, she not only makes the arts accessible but also fosters a safe space for artistic expression and learning.

At my studio of 25 years

Selected Murals & Installations

Mahindra Living history museum, Mumbai

2022: Building Blocks, Art object in ceramic

Hilton, Mumbai

2023: Ocean & Skyline, Installation in ceramic and metal

Antara Senior Living, Dehradun

2018: Flight of the Bird, a suspended outdoor installation in ceramic and brass, size: 10 ft wingspan

2017: Solar, Ceramic Mural, size: 20 x 15 ft

2016: The Cosmic Ocean and The Birth of Life, Ceramic Mural, size: 28 x 15 ft

Murals for private residences

2023: The Moon & the Water – a duet, wall installation, Mumbai

2023: As the river flows – edition 1, Mumbai

2022: Multiverse, wall installation, Mumbai

2021: Landscapes in clay, wall installation, Mumbai

2021: Sapphire Flux, mural, Mumbai

2020: Reflections, 12 ft x 4 ft mural, Mumbai

2020: The Moods of Water, wall art, Jodhpur

2018: Breeze, 20 ft mural, Mumbai

2016: The White Shadow, mural, Mumbai

Sun n Sand Hotel, Shirdi

2015: The Tree, Ceramic Mural

Le Meridien Hotel, Nagpur

2015: The Seed, Mural installation, size: 70 x 30 ft

2015: Holon, suspended art installation, size: 23 x 12 x 6 ft

Kohler Bold Art artist 2014

2014: Invited to create an on-site ceramic installation at India Design 2014, New Delhi as the artist for 2014, Kohler Bold Art programme, size: 15 x 8 x 6 ft.

Studio Pepperfry, Mumbai

2018: I was invited by Studio Pepperfry (India’s leading online furniture portal) to be a part of their World Environment day event to highlight the versatility of clay as an environmentally friendly material.
I constructed a mural, live at their studio using a special clay body that I formulated using clay and plant extracts. The idea was to create a mural using a clay body that would harden on drying such that it could be installed on the wall without any firing.

Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt Hotels

2013: Mural for the Dining Hall of the Park Hyatt at Chennai

2011: Mural for the central lobby and artworks for all the guest rooms of the Grand Hyatt Spa & Resort at Goa.

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

2007: Created a temporary site-specific ceramic installation-“Amalgamation” at Kala Ghoda; Mumbai’s Art district. Sponsored by the TATA Group

Selected Projects

Collaborative project with Digital Dreams

2022 – ongoing: Designing and creating touch surface digital switches in ceramics

Curator on the Kutch pottery project, “Ghadai” supported by the Hermes Foundation, Paris:

2014-15: I was invited by Khamir, a craft NGO based in Kutch, India to be a part of their 6-month project on the pottery of Kutch for which they had been awarded a fellowship by the Hermes Foundation, Paris.
I was invited to curate a show of works that would be specially created by the village potters of Kutch for an exclusive showing at the Hermes store, Mumbai. The works were auctioned, and funds were used to create
infrastructure for the potters. I also created and published books on each of the works that were part of the show.

Founder of The Pottery Lab, Mumbai

2012: The Pottery Lab is a community space dedicated to the teaching of primarily the ceramic arts and other crafts as well. The effort is to make the arts and crafts accessible to the community at large.

Immersive Experience, in collaboration with Studio Ex-Forma

2018: I collaborated with multi-disciplinary Studio Ex-Forma to create an immersive experience around emotions inspired by clay. The assembly involved clay, poetry and video followed by an informal discussion around the experience of the participants.

Mentor at the Piramal Art Residency

2017: Invited to mentor the resident artists at the Sustaining Earth residency, Piramal Art Foundation, Mumbai

Art Therapy, community project

2002-03: Case study in art therapy done with a 21-yr old autistic girl at Sadhana School and Training Centre for Disabled Children. It was a completely hands-on, year-long project where clay, sketching, painting and some writing were used as a form of therapy and a developmental tool.

Select Shows

H2O, AKFD, Jaipur

2018: Themed around Water, 10 ceramic artists were invited to create ceramic sculptures and murals for this show hosted by Ayush Kasliwal’s Furniture Design studio at Jaipur. My work for the show can be viewed here.

Lunar, Ceramic Tableware

2017: Exhibited at the newly launched EKHO store in Bangalore, a boutique home store by the Godrej Design Centre. details…

Time, Ceramic Sculpture exhibited at Mutable, Mumbai

2017: My ceramic sculpture titled “Time” was curated and exhibited at “Mutable”, a show on Indian Ceramic and Clay Art since 1947. This is an initiative of the Piramal Art Foundation. The show has been curated by Jackfruit Research & Design and is showing at the Piramal Museum of Art, Mumbai.

Pretty Blue Cup – a travelling show of my studio pottery

Pretty Blue Cup is a travelling show of my studio pottery and of an adventurous cup in pretty ceramic blues. The show is hosted periodically at different outlets that have an appreciation for art and for studio pottery.

2014: hosted by Mineral at Bandra, Mumbai

2013: hosted by Sanctum at Khar, Mumbai

2013: hosted by The Tribe at Versova, Mumbai

Tiles Forever Show hosted by Delhi Blue Pottery Trust, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

2012: Participated in a group show of murals by ceramic artists in India at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Indo-Australian pottery show, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

2010: Invited to participate in a collaborative show of Indian and Australian ceramic artists at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Art n Soul gallery, Mumbai

2008: Participated in Group pottery show themed “Throw”

Samsara art show, Mumbai

2007: Invited to show at “Art within reach”, pottery and ceramic art exhibition by Samsara Art at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai

Group ceramic art shows, Mumbai

2006: Two group shows with Mumbai based Ceramic Artists, Artist Centre, Mumbai

2002: Invited to participate in a group show organised by Jehangir Art Gallery

Ceramic art exhibitions in public spaces, Mumbai

2005 & 2006: Two shows of my ceramic artworks and lifestyle products hosted by lifestyle store YAMINI in Mumbai. One of my constant endeavours has been to showcase my art work at relevant, yet non-gallery spaces. I believe this helps to make art more accessible and overcome myths.