Ceramic artist Antra Sinha is the mastermind behind "Shimmering Sunlight," an exhibit at Utah Valley University featuring porcelain works through Jan. 24.
The porcelain exhibit features forms molded from clay attached to boards. The shapes are inspired by geometrical forms found in nature, while the glimmering porcelain’s shade is inspired by the color of snow.
Sinha drew inspiration for her work from the Utah mountain snow after moving to the state from India in 2015. Growing up, Sinha was fascinated by science and the world around her.
“My passions were geology and psychology, so learning about the earth and people,” she said. My elder brother saw my creative talents and said you should just do art. I followed that."
Sinha received her bachelor's degree in painting from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Based on her strengths during school, Sinha's teacher recommended she pursue her master's in mural design.
“I did my MFA in mural design, where I played with sand casting and made murals with plaster and clay,” she said.
After completing her first master's in 2002, Sinha spent years in India creating pots, molding monumental sculptures and making forms that would turn into murals.
In 2015, Sinha moved to Utah to pursue her second master's degree in ceramics at Utah State University. While there, she noticed wavelike patterns in the snow that reminded her of home — Puducherry, a small coastal town in southern India.
“I noticed the texture of freshly fallen snow on the mountains and the simmering sunlight on the snow. Somehow that brought me home,” she said.
Sinha combined her love for nature with geometric patterns.
“A recurring theme in my artwork is the formal exploration of polygons and shapes in nature that are the fundamental forms,” she said. “They are the cube, sphere, tetrahedron or pyramid.”
Sinha wants audiences to bring their own interpretation to her work.
“I hope people come and experience something that I have not yet thought of,” she said.
Ellie Corbin, a sophomore at BYU, reflected on the porcelain exhibit.
“What really stood out to me was the texture,” Corbin said. “You could see how the surface caught the light and created tiny shadows in every groove.”
BYU sophomore Leo Grayson also attended the exhibit, stating that it helped him feel peace.
“Paying attention to art helps me feel calm," he said. “It’s like hitting pause and just breathing for a minute.”
Exhibit attendees were able to leave notes at the exhibit. One attendee was particularly touched by the contrast of light and shadows.
“I found comfort in the shadows of these pieces,” the attendee wrote. “Light was the contrast, and yet it hit the same-shaped piece differently each time. Memory can change as we move through the light of life.”
Visit Sinha’s "Shimmering Sunlight" at the Utah Valley University Museum of Art. To learn more about Sinha, visit antrasinha.com.