On the healing power of clay

From favourite snacks and games of yesteryear, childhood memories inevitably evoke feelings of nostalgia as we grow older.

But for the Syrian ceramist Dana Mufti, the emotions these recollections trigger are much more complex, spanning love, comfort and joy, but also loss, pain and despair.

“As a child, I grew up watching people forced to pack and leave their homes under pressure, before trying to settle elsewhere and then having to repeat the same stressful process,” explained Dana, who was born in Kuwait to Syrian parents and currently lives in Austria. “Since then, I’ve also lived most of my life abroad, away from my family, feeling lonely, homesick and helpless while the Middle East is in turmoil.”

Known for its healing and therapeutic properties, clay has proved to be Dana’s medium of choice, enabling her to not only process and channel her emotions, but tell important stories through poignant pieces of art.

“I have great pride in my Syrian heritage and an immense love for the country, despite spending barely ten years of my life there, which is why I think creating and recreating connections sit at the heart of so much of my work,” she explained.

In fact, Dana’s latest pieces transport audiences back to her childhood, offering snapshots of times gone by, from delightful pyramid-shaped ceramics inspired by orange juice cartons to vases recalling the colours and patterns of Syrian floor tiles or showcasing damask fabrics.

However, unsurprisingly, given the regional backdrop, other pieces also rooted in her childhood have a darker slant. One example is Dana’s interpretation of the popular paper fortune teller game in which the traditional, light-hearted phrases found under the paper folds are replaced with references to the traumas and repercussions of life experienced in times of conflict.

“It’s so important for these stories to be told, as a means of maintaining and reestablishing connections, but also to ensure they’re passed on to the next generations,” she explained.

A similar pattern is evident in Dana’s ‘love’ series, in which she inscribes the word in Arabic calligraphy onto her ceramic works. Written in Arabic, Dana pointed out that the word ‘love’ has a beautiful wave to it. But she is also keen to relay the fact that as an emotion, love is far from straightforward. “For example, love can be difficult – painful even – so some of my pieces highlight these complexities,” she said, giving the example of a bouquet of flowers in which the individual blooms are seemingly wrestling with each other rather than aligned in harmony.

To say Dana’s path to art hasn’t been linear would be an understatement. However, this phase in her professional life also marks something of a full circle return as she explained.

“I wanted to do art in my student days, but my parents weren’t keen on the idea at the time,” she said.

Academically strong, Dana studied languages and business instead, moving smoothly into a successful and varied career path that spanned translating and teaching, among other fields, including roles held in high-profile international institutions.

In parallel, she relocated to Austria for personal reasons with her growing family. Indeed, it was during a trip to a family-friendly pottery studio with her children that fate intervened and reintroduced art into her life.

“I was thinking of starting a business at that time, but unsure which direction to take,” she said. “I looked at the children having a great time painting vases in lovely bright colours and thought how much potential it offered as a fun leisure activity. I contacted the owners and asked them if they were interested in expanding the franchise into my hometown and that was how it all began again. Looking back now, it felt like destiny.”

With Dana’s passion for ceramics and entrepreneurial acumen, the project evolved to include activities that ranged from play workshops for youngsters to student projects and teambuilding events.

Before long, Dana found herself drawn to the clay herself, in part to put newcomers at ease by giving demonstrations, but also having reignited a long-held passion for creating art. “From there, interest in my work took off and before long, I was selling pieces. It was a wonderful path to be on,” she admitted.

With her children now older and more time available, Dana was able to hone her technique by taking classes at several leading European ceramic schools with masters of the craft. Since then, her career has gone from strength to strength, bringing with it exhibitions, an artist-in-residence opening in Rome and a shared studio in her hometown.

Dana’s return to art is satisfying on many levels, from the healing and sharing benefits it provides to the creative and entrepreneurial opportunities it has brought.

“The physical work involved in hand-building, mould-making and slip-casting can be exhausting, but there’s no doubt that it’s extremely satisfying,” she said. “It’s also a fact that my hands can’t keep up with my ideas. But this dynamic simply keeps me focused and motivated to continue creating art shaped by my experiences that people can either relate to or learn from, sharing memories and bringing the past to the present.”