Keshari Nandan Pushes the Boundaries of Ceramic Art in ‘Fire and Form’

More than 30 recent works explore the shifting space between everyday utility and contemporary stoneware sculpture.

Keshari Nandan’s Fire and Form Celebrates 35 Years of Ceramic Practice

National Award-winning ceramic artist Keshari Nandan is presenting Fire and Form, an exhibition of more than thirty recent stoneware works at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi. Curated by Uma Nair, the exhibition, , brings together works that reflect over thirty-five years of the artist’s engagement with clay, encompassing functional pottery, architectural ceramics and contemporary stoneware sculpture.

For Nandan, ceramics is not simply about creating an object but about embracing an entire process—from preparing the clay and building the form to developing glazes and working with the kiln. His approach remains rooted in a deep respect for the material and its transformative possibilities.

“I have worked with clay for more than thirty-five years, and I still learn something from every firing. For me, ceramics is a complete process. Preparing the clay, building the form, developing the glaze and working with the kiln are all part of the same practice. Whether I am making a vessel for daily use or a large sculpture, I begin with the same respect for the material,” says Keshari Nandan.

The artist, who is also a recipient of the President’s Award, has earned recognition for a practice that consistently moves beyond conventional categorisations of ceramics. Renowned sculptor Himmat Shah, who himself received multiple honours, was an admirer of Nandan’s work and appreciated the way his ceramics resisted being confined to a single category.

Internationally respected ceramic curator Kristine Michael has also recognised the depth of Nandan’s practice. In her foreword to the exhibition, she describes his sculptures as “a meditation on time, impermanence and spiritual evolution,” highlighting the harmonious relationship between philosophical inquiry and technical mastery in his work.

Fire and Form features vessels, platters, sculptural forms and a monumental stoneware work inspired by the landscapes, textures and cultural memory of Rajasthan. Across these works, Nandan explores the relationship between utility and sculpture, allowing functional forms to acquire a strong sculptural presence while retaining their connection to everyday life.

The exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into an artistic journey shaped by decades of experimentation, firing, observation and discovery. His works reveal the unpredictable yet deeply rewarding nature of ceramics, where fire becomes an active collaborator and every firing brings new possibilities.

At its core, Fire and Form is a celebration of clay as both material and memory—an exploration of form, texture, time and transformation that reflects Keshari Nandan’s enduring commitment to the ceramic medium.