Meet Pinar Aral | Visual Artist, Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pinar Aral and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pinar, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?

I went to a clay workshop in 2015 about addressing personal trauma and/or loss. It wasn’t my first time touching the clay; I had taken various classes before at Lillstreet Art Center and Horner park clay studio and made functional objects. This was a different approach. The Artist moderator Corinne D. Peterson called this workshop “Shaping Clay, Shaping Life”. The workshop was done in two parts: in the first part, we were given a hunk of clay and asked to think about our pain and suffering -whatever it may be- and shape it into a rock. As I shaped my rock, floodgates opened, I was deeply moved by this act of working with my hands and thinking about my sorrows. This was a time when I was having a midlife crisis. I was struggling with finding purpose and meaning in my life. During the session, I thought of myself as a child, about the many dreams I had, how I thought I was going to change the world; but I was barely surviving, or so it felt. I hugged that child, I said I was so sorry to have disappointed her. I swaddled her in my rock, that turned into a volcano of tears. In the second part of the workshop, Corinne gave us a small ball of porcelain and asked us to represent our “inner light”. I made it into a butterfly. I wanted to be transformed. That workshop, was a turning point in my life. I had to have a creative practice to heal myself, to find meaning and purpose, and to connect to myself and others. And, it was still possible to change the world at the age 45! At least, my own!

The rocks and tokens of light made at this workshop and many others were displayed as part of a collective project called the Cairn Project by Corinne D. Peterson. http://www.thecairnproject.com/about.html

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I make abstract sculptures in clay. One of the shapes I repeatedly make are Möbius strips. These are continuous ribbons that have one edge and one surface. They are a mathematical shape but also the symbol of eternity. By making these sculptures, I want to represent the cycle of life, seasons, night&day, etc. We are eternal energy. Nothing disappears, everything transforms into something else. And repeat.

I also make sculptures that look like a natural landscape: a canyon, or a rock. I am at constant awe with the earth we live on. I get inspired from nature all the time.

I have had the good luck of going to the Institute of Industrial Design in Florence, Italy. My professors were Italian designers, like Paulo Deganello, Gilberto Corretti (creators of Archizoom), Denis Santachiara, and even the great Enzo Mari came to teach a workshop. I have learned from the best about good design. This formation helps me everyday in building my sculptures, making visual and structural decisions.

My work is very intuitive, it is my soul wandering with a desire to find meaning and beauty. I want to create forms that are pleasing to the eye. Making sculptures helps me understand my place in the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I live in Chicago; we have many options for a memorable visit. My favorite is the Architecture Foundation boat tour to see Chicago’s robust buildings from the river. If my guest likes to look at modern art, like I do, I would take them to the Museum of Contemporary Art, followed by lunch & cocktails at Marisol restaurant in the museum. Trip to Oak park to see Frank Lloyd Wright is always fun. In my Lincoln Square neighborhood, I like to go to Oromo Café, to have Turkish coffee and pastries, followed by Merz Apothecary for the best display of natural products. Last but not least, I would take them to my studio at Lillstreet Art Center to play with clay and shop at the gift shop for Artist made mugs and jewelry.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

As I mentioned in the intro about how my creative practice started, I owe so much to Corinne D. Peterson. Her “shaping clay, shaping life” workshop changed my life. I was so moved by it that it became clear to me that I needed to have clay in my hands to understand what was going on inside of me and around me. Since 2019, I have been sharing a studio with her at Lillstreet Art Center. She took me under her wings and gave me space to express myself. She is my friend, my mentor, my clay mother.

I am also very grateful for Kimberly Oliva, she is my gallerist who believed in me to host my work at her lovely Oliva Gallery https://www.olivagallery.com in Logan square. Last year, Kimberly and Gosia Korsakowski, who both are successful business owners, partnered to create a new concept showroom Alma Art and Interiors   https://www.almaartandinteriors.com where I show my work with amazing Chicago and international artists.

In June 2023, Corinne and I are going to have a two person show at Oliva Gallery titled “Truth Be Told” where we will talk about womanhood, motherhood and aging. I am eternally grateful to these women for their love and support.

Website: www.pinararal.com

Instagram: @pinararalstudio

Image Credits
Sculpture photos are by Travis Roozée Artist photo by Valentina Pucarelli