What does considered living mean to you?
”It means staying true to myself in my art, not forgetting my roots and not forgetting the reason for doing what I do.” – Tara

You’ve mentioned before that you find more freedom in design/art in Australia than in Iran? In general, there are so many limitations in art in Iran. Anything that is showing the human body, especially the woman’s body, is banned. Politics, religion, non-binary people and women are some of the topics that are banned in Iran, so we cannot utilise them in our art. These restrictions ultimately lead to self-censorship in arts, which can be a nightmare for artists. That being said, constraints can inspire innovation.  

To me there is such a relaxed sophistication to your work. You allow the imperfections to be part of the beauty of the object. And the layerings of textures in your work have an incredible beauty and evoke (for me) the shifting sands or outback landscape layerings, etc… where did that aesthetic expression come from and what do they mean to you? They come naturally out of me. I do not think about having them on my pieces. As I was making more pieces, I realised that I desire to bring more imperfection to my works. It gives me the sense of freedom and I feel I'm more myself by creating them like this. For me, it is especially important to be honest with my art. I do not make my pieces to make something beautiful or popular. They are pieces that come to me naturally.  

Your forms, from the torso to the larger sculptures and functional vessels have a wonderful roundedness to them and all in beautiful proportions, where does that sense of balance in undulations come from? I get inspired by nature and my feelings. I try to show my feelings by the shape of the torso. They are humans who try to move, get free and bloom. The shapes and undulations are coming from those feelings. 

I also find your pieces very calming – do you consciously think about creating that sense in your works? When working on them – what do you feel and focus on, or is it meditative for you? I think peace and calmness are what I chase in my life, and maybe that’s why you have this feeling about my work. I have grown up in a country that has gone through revolution, war and many tribulations. That may explain why I would like to find calmness in my work. I had to explore things in different ways. For example, my mom enrolled me in an underground drawing class when I was 13. We had life models there, and that was a new window for me to see the human body differently. Before that I had been taught at school that exposure of human body has sexual connotation. 

When you use colour, your colours are very much oceanic – is that how you would describe them and why are you drawn to those colours? I find the underwater a safe and peaceful place – snorkelling is one of my favourite activities. I feel I am part of nature when under the water and that I am connected to an endless energy source. Maybe that’s why I use that a lot in my work. 

When using natural finishes, you transition to sand and dirt colours? What are you wanting to express or evoke? Mountains and rocks have always been in my life. I climbed mountains with my mum from 10 years of age, and my mum has always spoken about being aware of nature and paying attention to the rocks and our natural surrounds. I feel stronger and more alive in the mountain.  

Describe your practice? I started ceramics three years ago … and I know I have a long journey ahead of me. I don’t have any plans for the future, I just plan to just keep doing what I am doing and embrace life’s surprises. 

In terms of your shapes and product offering, how do you balance your art practice with your functional practice? When I make ceramic pieces, I purely think of shapes and the creation of a piece that reflects my inner thought, objectives and emotions at the time. Functionality comes next. I would say they can be used either as a functional piece or an art object, but creativity comes ahead of functionality.

Your teapots are particularly fabulous – I especially love the branch handle and the oversized rings that hold handles onto your other teapots – what is your fascination with teapots and what enticed you to try to develop this form? I really like the tea culture in Asian countries, including our tea culture in Iran. Tea is something that brings people together and serving tea is an important tradition. At the same time, I like to create my own shape of teapots rather than the traditional ones. 

Are you working on any new forms or exploring any new techniques? Always. I always try to set aside time to think about new projects, new forms and objects.  

If you could do one commission of your choice with unlimited funds, what would you want to do and why? I would love to travel around the world and collect and use the local clay from different cities and countries. After a few years, I would exhibit them all together.  

Where can people currently purchase your pieces? And if they want to know more about you – where is the best place to find you? They can see my works on my Instagram page and website.  www.tarad.com.au  nsta: taradstudio . I am also stocked in Fremantle’s Kartique store.

We see that you are setting up your new studio at your home – what does this mean for you? It means more freedom, new experiences and less limitations for me to think and work freely. I cannot wait! 

Lastly, what does considered living mean to you in terms of your art? It means staying true to myself in my art, not forgetting my roots and not forgetting the reason for doing what I do.

Getting personal.