Reclaimed Creations

“My work is about perceiving harmony, even in situations that appear chaotic from the inside. When observing my sculptures up close, one might see gaps, holes and items being held on only by small points; step away, however, and the sculptures reveal the harmony created when the objects are aligned to the same general direction.”

Sayaka Ganz was born in Yokohama, Japan, and grew up living in Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Indiana University Bloomington and continued to create welded sculptures of animal forms independently. In 2008 she received a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Bowling Green, Ohio. She taught design and drawing courses at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne between 2002 and 2012.

Using reclaimed plastic objects as materials, Sayaka’s recent sculptures depict animals in motion with rich colors and energy. She describes her style as “3D impressionist”, creating an illusion of solid form using plastic objects as brush strokes that become visible upon observation from close proximity. Her recent exhibitions include: “Danze Della Natura” – a solo exhibition at the Hermann Geiger Foundation in Cecina, Italy, and “Feng Shui ~ Wind and Water” – a solo exhibition in the Isle Gallery, Isle of Man, and “Changing Tides” – solo exhibition at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her recent commissions include a series of four marine life sculptures for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California and a permanent installation depicting an underwater scene with a right whale and various schools of fish in the atrium of the Exploration Tower in Port Canaveral, Florida.

Q: Where do you obtain materials to create your artwork? 

Most of my materials are bought from thrift stores. Some are donations from friends and family, and some are found in my neighbor’s trash or on the side of the road. I don’t buy anything new, and don’t accept donations of unused items. When I do workshops I ask the hosting venues not to buy any new materials for the workshops as well. 

Q: Why do you obtain materials this way (as opposed to finding them in nature)? 

I believe that the problem of plastic waste and plastic pollution needs to be approached at all levels and directions; we need government and legislators to pass laws that are more sustainable for our environment, we need efforts made by companies and factories to use materials that are less harmful and either recyclable or biodegradable or easily reusable, we need individuals to make more conscious efforts to buy fewer things, and make choices with the full life cycle of each item in mind. We need people to do a better job sorting and placing recyclables in appropriate bins, we need people to make an effort to keep our garbage from ending up in the ocean or in the forest.

We also need people and organizations to collect the garbage that are already in the ocean. I’m sure there are many more that I failed to mention. And none of these actions can stand alone. We need all of these efforts to be made. Where I fit in right now is between consumers that no longer want these plastic items and the landfill and/or the ocean. We need artists who use plastics that have already ended up in the ocean, and we need artists like myself who use plastic items that have not yet found their way to the ocean. There is a clear direction we have been seeing the waste stream to flow, and the important task is to stop it where ever we can.  

Q: How does your Shinto belief shape your approach to materials? 

I grew up with Shinto animist belief that all things in the world have spirits. Thus, when I see discarded items on the street or thrift store shelves, I feel a deep sadness for them and I am moved to make these abandoned objects happy. My sympathy goes out equally to all discarded objects regardless of materials, but my current working material of choice is plastic. I have been collecting and using second hand plastics for over 10 years now. I use mostly common household items to create animal forms with a sense of movement and self-awareness. These materials have over time become my friends, collaborators, and teachers. They have taught me much about consumerism, pollution, and human pursuit of convenience. The materials speak through me about environmental issues.