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Payal Garai

@garaipayal

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Potter - Ceramic artist based in Pune
Learning, teaching and unlearning everyday
Studio practice, Workshops
Come sit, learn, and make with me

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Payal Garai is a Pune-based freelance studio potter and Associate at IGA Landscape Pottery, known for a textural yet refined approach to both utility ware and sculptural ceramics. Her practice is grounded in the potter’s wheel — even her sculptural forms typically begin as wheel-thrown pieces before being hand-worked and transformed.
Her work spans sculptural ceramics, tableware, and large-scale landscape pottery for commercial projects. A graduate in Ceramics from Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, she trained under eminent ceramic artists Nirmala Patwardhan and Ruby Jhunjhunwala, with further study at Andretta Pottery and Golden Bridge Pottery.
Teaching is central to her practice. Alongside her own classes and workshops, she has taught at institutions including Delhi Public School, Pune, and the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind, Mumbai.
Payal has shown widely across India, including the group exhibitions Coming from Mud (2025), Merging Clay (2025), Archipelago (2024), and Touch (2024), as well as several Pune Potters Annual Exhibitions. In 2024, she completed a ceramic residency at the Taoxichuan International Ceramic Centre in Longquan, China. She continues to work from her Pune studio, exploring clay through functional, sculptural, and large-scale forms.

#ceramic #icaf #indianartist #contemporaryceramics #showcase by @garaipayal

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2 months ago

A little older, a lot more grateful.
For the laughter, the surprises, the love, the people who showed up, and all the beautiful little moments that made this birthday so special.
Celebrating life, family, friendships and the privilege of growing older surrounded by love. 🥂✨
Here’s to 50—and to everything still waiting to unfold. ❤️
#FiftyAndFabulous #Chapter50 #GratefulHeart #BirthdayMemories #FamilyAndLove CelebratingLife by @garaipayal

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2 months ago

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Payal di! ❤️ No matter how many years pass or how long it’s been since we meet, our bond always feels the same—full of love, warmth, and beautiful memories. Thank you for being there for me during one of the biggest moments of my life. May God bless you with all the happiness, love, and good health. Love you always! 🎂💖 by @garaipayal

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2 months ago

Inspired by mythology, these terracotta kamandalus recall the quiet life of wandering ascetics—where a simple vessel carried both water and a philosophy of restraint, self-sufficiency, and mindful living. Traditionally used by sadhus, the kamandalu symbolized detachment from excess and a focus on inner richness. The mirrored base beneath each form introduces a moment of reflection—both literal and introspective—inviting us to look within. In today’s fast-paced world, they stand as gentle reminders to slow down, carry only what we need, and find depth not in accumulation, but in awareness.
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#kamandalus #terracotta #ceramics #indianmythology #ceramicsculpture by @garaipayal

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7 months ago

Few more khadaus from the Mythology series!
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#khadau #indianmythology #ceramic #modernceramics #ceramicsculpture by @garaipayal

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7 months ago

The Khadau, in Indian mythology, signifies a presence that endures even in absence—the lingering trace of a soul’s journey. Traditionally associated with ascetics, this sacred footwear embodies a path of restraint, discipline, and conscious movement.
This series revisits the Khadau as both symbol and form, reflecting on the idea that every step taken is deliberate and meaningful. Bridging the space between ancient myth and contemporary expression, the work reimagines the Khadau not merely as an object of renunciation, but as a quiet marker of the values and principles upon which we stand today.
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#khadau #indianmythology #artseries #contemporaryart #ceramicsculpture by @garaipayal

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7 months ago

AKHADA - 3

Multiplicity is never chaos.
It is rhythm. It is chant. It is breath repeating itself.
Each terracotta kamandalu holds emptiness — and yet, together they feel full.
Full of silence. Full of memory. Full of unseen journeys.
In Indian mythology, the kamandalu is not just a vessel. It is carried by rishis, ascetics, by Lord Shiva, by wandering seekers who renounce the world but carry the cosmos within. It holds sacred water — the essence of life, purification, and consciousness. It is restraint. It is discipline. It is spiritual wealth.
When multiplied, they begin to look like a gathering of sages.
An akhada of stillness.
A congregation of contained universes.
Each one similar, yet no two the same.
Like seekers. Like us.

#Kamandalu #Terracotta #RootedInMythology #IndianAesthetics #SacredVessels by @garaipayal

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7 months ago

AKHADA - 2

The kamandalu is not a pot.
It is a symbol of renunciation.
Of walking away from excess.
Of carrying only what is essential.
From the hands of sages to the rituals of fire,
it holds sacred water — life, purity, transformation.

This installation gathers them like an akhada —
discipline multiplied, faith repeated. by @garaipayal

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7 months ago

Akhada
Rooted in Mythology

The kamandalu — vessel of ascetics, bearer of sacred water, symbol of restraint and contained cosmic power.
In the hands of Brahma, it carries the water of creation.
With Shiva, it becomes the mark of renunciation and inner fire.
Multiplied in terracotta, the single sacred object transforms into an arena — an akhada of discipline, devotion, and silent strength.
Each form holds emptiness.
Each emptiness holds potential.
Earth shaped into myth.
Repetition turned into power.

#Akhada #Kamandalu #RootedInMythology #Terracotta #CeramicInstallation by @garaipayal

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8 months ago

Fresh out of the kiln - plates, fruit bowls and cups glowing with colour and character.
If you'd like one to brighten your table DM me.
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#ceramics #studiopottery #potterswheel #wheelthrownceramics #handbuilding #potter #ceramist #stoneware #pottery #indianartists #underglazecolor #underglazeceramic #underglazepaint #tableware #tableware #fruitbowl #ceramiccups #ceramicplates #artiststudio #potteryclassesinpune #weekendpotteryfun #handewadi #pune by @garaipayal

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10 months ago

Exploring the quiet brilliance of lustre glazes — each surface revealing its own subtle radiance.
These are some of our glaze experiments from the workshop conducted by Abbas Akbari at Anvi Pottery.
An experience of learning, reflection, and transformation — pure alchemy at work. ✨

#lustreglaze #metallicglaze #iridescentceramics #kilnmagic #clayandfire #ceramicart #abbasakbari #anvipottery #studioexperiments #metalliclustre #reductionfiring #woodfiring #gasfiring #glazedceramics #glazeworkshop #contemporaryceramics #igastudios #punepotters #studiopottery #ceramicmural #ceramicsculpture #wheelthrownpottery #wheelthrownceramics #commisionwork #tableware #lifeofanartist #studiolife #handcraftedceramics #potterylove #CeramicJourney by @garaipayal

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a year ago

I had the chance to see the incredible works of PR Daroz — a pioneer of contemporary Indian ceramics. His monumental installations, with their textured surfaces and architectural presence, blur the line between sculpture, space, and memory. The works remind us how clay, one of the oldest materials, continues to hold new meaning in today’s world. by @garaipayal

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a year ago