Sayaka Ganz | KALTBLUT MAGAZINE

Animal Sculptures!

Sculptor Sayaka Ganz creates fluid forms from recycled materials, her animal sculptures are stunning. Sayaka Ganz was born in Yokohama, Japan and grew up living in Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong. Currently she teaches design and drawing courses at Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne!

Using reclaimed plastic household objects as her materials, Sayaka’s recent sculptures depict animals in motion with rich colors and energy. Her recent exhibitions include: “Objects and Spirits” – solo exhibition at the Robert E. Wilson Gallery, Huntington University, Huntington, IN, and “Convergence” – solo exhibition in the Visual Arts Gallery, Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Her sculpture “Ambush” has been installed permanently in the educational wing of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. She recently completed a commission of a series of four marine life sculptures for the Monerey Bay Aquarium in California.

Her work is collected and exhibited in London, Tokyo, Takaoka, Isle of Man, New York, San Francisco, Monterey, Toledo and Fort Wayne.

Upcoming Exhibtions

Solo Exhibition “Dances of Nature”, Greenville, Illinois, September 14 ~ October 12, 2012

(High) Trash, Feb 12 ~ May 19, 2013, Burlington, VT

REDUX: Repurposed Materials, October 26 – November 30, 2012, Fredericksburg, VA

“Flotsam and Jetsam” November 1, 2013 ~ January 24, 2014, Terre Haute, IN

Artist Statement:

“Driven by a combination of my passion for fitting odd shapes together and a sympathy toward discarded objects, I create animals from thrift store plastics. I spent my early childhood in Japan but I grew up in several different countries. Japanese Shinto beliefs are such that all objects and organisms have spirits, and I was taught in kindergarten that objects that are discarded before their time weep at night inside the trash bin. This became a vivid image in my mind. The constant need to adjust to a new environment also gave me a strong desire to fit in and to create harmony around me.

I only select objects that have been used and discarded. My goal is for each object to transcend its origin by being integrated into an animal/ organic forms that are alive and in motion. This process of reclamation and regeneration is liberating to me as an artist. Building these sculptures helps me understand the situations that surround me. It reminds me that even if there is a conflict right now, there is also a solution in which all the pieces can coexist peacefully. Though there are wide gaps in some areas and small holes in others, when seen from the distance there is great beauty and harmony in our community. Through my sculptures I transmit a message of hope.”