Give Wali Hawes a Hand!

Wali Hawes is an Indian artist living in London. He has had many exhibitions and has received various awards all round the world. He is bringing you the concept of “hands”.  His art is open to children, students and visitors  that are welcomed to try his terracotta art themselves.

How did you start art?

I used to live near Stoke-on-Trent which is known as a center of ceramic production and I was studying Ceramics Studies at Braintree College, England. I became interested in this kind of art about 30 years ago quite by accident. I was living in the ceramic center, and I bought clay to make presents for Christmas. The people liked what I made, so from that moment I decided to study ceramics at university .Afterwards I began in my own studio. In 1991 I moved to Barcelona and after 10 more years I moved to Japan. In 2009, I moved back to Spain and then I returned to the UK in 2011.

What is your artwork concept for this symposium?

The concept that I use is the “hand”. The hand is a universal symbol, finding something that everybody in the world can understand is very important. The hand is a Symbol of peace, that’s why in England we shake hands. We are saying that we don’t have any weapons. If you are in pain - what is the first thing you do? Your hand will touch it, and I believe that there is something very very important about this. The hand is a symbol of love, passion, and friendship.

Do you have any special plans for this symposium?

This work that I lead here, it is not my work but collective work with kids and students. I just want to bring it together and share the experience with each other. And I don’t want to put all of this stuff in a special place. I want to share them at public places, for example at a bus stop, and it will be nice if everybody who makes the sculpture can recognize theirs and feel proud of themselves.

Have you ever had anyone tell you that you can’t do it? That you can’t be successful?

A lot of time, for example when I make “Horno Volador” that’s Spanish for “Flying Kiln”. (You can search on youtube for what “Horno Volador” is.) You don’t know how many times people who have no idea and no experience are telling me that it’s dangerous! I’ve had firemen join me and if they’re doing that… but then some bureaucrats bring out their papers and say it’s too dangerous! I have this all the time, health and safety issues, it’s rubbish!

Visit him on: www.walihaves.com , frameworks@aol.es