Ceramics are often seen as a symbol of quiet luxury, elegance, subtle sophistication and slow living. Embodying all of these is Chandigarh-based Aura Life, led by Anya Gupta and her mother Anuja. “In 2012 my parents built a three-acre farm outside Chandigarh to live a quieter, more creative life. Clay entered the story a couple of years later when my mother started experimenting in the studio we had set up at home. What began as a personal practice grew into Aura Pottery and then into Aura Life,” says Anya. Anuja is a self-taught artist. “I tested clay bodies, mixed glazes, fired, failed and made notes until the language felt like my own,” she says.
All their collections which include vases, lamps and centrepieces are carved and finished by hand, and no two pieces are the same. “We release families of form rather than short term trends so that a lamp or vase feels collectible,” says Anya. Their latest collection, Maze, is a study in pattern and order where the products feature repeating grooves which catch light like shadow lines on a façade. While the Eclipse collection explores contrast through a hand poured black and white glaze, Sandleaf is an ode to botanical form.
The Sahara collection replete with ripples and ridges takes cues from wind carved dunes while Phoenix is all about bold verticals and sculptural lighting.