Mani Suri on her connection with Mother Earth

Can working with clay change one's life for the better? We speak to Abu Dhabi-based artist Mani Suri to find out how the simple act of creating ceramic artworks has proven to be a meditative and therapeutic process for her

Among Mani Suri's eclectic collection of ceramic artworks, housed in a cozy studio overlooking a sunny garden in the Diplomatic Area of Abu Dhabi, there is a bird, with its beak slightly curved downwards, as if petulant over some perceived misdemeanor, which catches our attention.

They say, an artist's memory lies mostly in her hands, which has patiently kneaded the clay to the required consistency and moulded it into the desired shape to finally bear the image that is her inspiration.

But the docile bird, though striking in its near perfect symmetry is not among Mani Suri's favourite creations. As she explains to us, when it came out of the kiln, after she had worked on it for days, the beak was slightly curved, unlike how she remembers having shaped it.

"Clay doesn't forget." she explains, keen to take on the 'disfiguration' on herself and not blame her trusty companion. "Maybe at some stage while working on the clay I must have stretched it that way and even though I kneaded it back into its shape, when I put it in the kiln to fire it, the clay must have remembered. and gone back to the original shape." 

There is a strong sense of pride as Mani, wife of the current Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Singh Suri, tells us, "I always have this feeling that clay in my hands listens to me."

Looking around her studio overflowing with artworks of different hues and shapes, there can be no doubting that statement.

A pot in a vibrant shade of ochre jostles for space with a brightly hued turquoise plate imprinted with dandelion-like images. Blood red pomegranate seeds seemingly spill out of brightly hued pods, an artwork inspired by her visit to Istanbul and Jerusalem. A collection of boat shaped dishes, designed after the traditional vessels she chanced upon during her trip to South India, is worked upon with contrasting colours with a cream one overlaid with green leaf print so pretty you almost feel like picking up the foliage.

A smooth white conch like piece has a vibrant sea-blue design, redolent of seashells and beaches on a hot summer day. For Suri, inspiration is all around her, from the sights that greet her as she steps outside her house to the views that come into focus when she is out on a trip. "My clay and me listen to each other and for me it's a lifetime companionship," she avers. "Since I have made friends with clay, there are even times when my eyes are closed when giving shape to a piece."

"My days are well spent when I am with my clay and the clay listens to me," adds Mani who confesses she is able to sail through the nomadic life of a diplomat's wife because of the peace and tranquility her pottery work gives her. A sentiment that is not hard to understand considering the patience and time, not to mention the sheer physical energy required of the laborious process of turning simple clay into works of art. 

A Potter is born

Mani's interest in pottery started when her husband was stationed in Johannesburg, South Africa, as India's Consul General in 2006. Introduced to local potter, Kim Sacks, by a friend, she went in hoping to work on the standard potter's wheel.

But after a few days of playing around with clay, when she finally got a chance to try her hand at the famed potter's wheel, she realised that it is more satisfying doing free-hand work. Even though she has worked on the wheel sporadically over the years, it is the freestyle clay moulding that she enjoys the most - an activity she can easily spend hours immersed in.

Being a diplomat's wife, Mani has been privy to a lifestyle, that not many can dream of, getting to immerse herself in cultures vastly different from the one she is familiar with, in different countries across the world - and she's ensured to carry her passion for pottery with her wherever her husband has been posted.

While in South Africa alone she has worked alongside three potters, in Cairo and Australia where her husband was subsequently posted, she went on to practice with local potters. She in fact continues to keep in touch with all her gurus "who have given me a medium which is so meditative and therapeutic."

She confides in us that she is currently on the lookout for an Emirati friend with whom she can create something relevant to this region.

Having earned her degree in Communication Design from the US, while her husband was posted in Washington DC, a vocation she continues to practice to this day (she works as the Design Head of the Production Company of Jaipur Literature Festival fame in Delhi, India), Mani says the spillover to her ceramic work is minimal.

"I have two separate compartments for each one," she explains. "But surely in both you have to be creative, so the same part of the brain has to be in action."

The life of an ambassador's wife is not an easy one, in which one has to navigate the tricky world of diplomacy all the while with a smile on; for Mani, her husband's hectic diplomatic duties do tend to spill over to her life too and that alongside a busy social life keeps her on her toes. But she considers her studio her sanctuary.

"Working with clay is so therapeutic and meditative," she explains. "It's a full-on experience and a great way to beat the stress!" Though her close friends and acquaintances will vouch that the lady hardly ever gets stressed!

Mani loves meeting people and has a calm and happy personality which she attributes to "the peace and solace I attain while working in my studio."

The years spent with clay has instilled in Mani a sense of pride. "The medium is so engaging and you feel empowered when you create something out of it. For me it's a therapy and meditation to stay connected with my inner self."

She also credits her husband, Ambassador Suri, for being her constant support. The couple, met, interestingly, while they were doing their Masters in Economics at the Guru Nanak University in Amritsar, Punjab.

"He has been with me in whatever I do. Starting with my degree in Graphic Design from the US to my interest in ceramics, he has always been there for me. Inspite of our hectic social life, I get enough 'me time' with his support.  And he is the first one to appreciate or criticise my work; but it is mostly appreciation."

That is very evident in Ambassador Suri's voice as he proudly refers to his wife's re-invention - first as a graphic designer and then as a potter - over the years.

Interestingly, when they completed their posting in South Africa, Mani had the choice of buying a solitaire as a memento, but she chose to invest in the kiln and other studio materials which have been travelling with her wherever the couple have been posted afterwards.

The couple's daughters Manveena and Jessleena also share their mother's artistic bend of mind with the former dabbling in clay while the latter is into painting and drawing. While on most days Mani is content to spend time in her studio with her clay and glazes, she hopes to collate all her works to showcase in an exhibition by the year-end in the UAE - either in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

As for the future, "my dream is to open a pottery café where people can come, create and connect with their inner being."

ambica@khaleejtimes.

• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai