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An Online Masterclass with the Louvre Abu Dhabi: Pottery
Shaima Ahli’s Masterclass in building a hand-coiled vase is a delight
To celebrate the impact and influence of the Louvre Abu Dhabi on the region and its community, the museum has developed a series of three Online Masterclasses with Emirati Artists. Each masterclass shows an artist interact with and make a piece inspired by a piece in the Louvre Abu Dhabi collection, and is freely available online.
The pottery masterclass features ceramic artist Shaima Ahli, who shows how to make a hand-built vase inspired by an ancient Japanese cooking vase.
Shaima Ahli was born in Dubai in 1990 and started learning ceramics under the tutelage of Catherine Auriol of Gaia Ceramique in Montreal, Canada during her gap year between her Bachelors and Masters degrees. Since returning to Dubai in 2017, Shaima has continued her experimentation in the medium, practising both hand and wheel building techniques from her makeshift home studio.
Shaima’s work is inspired not only by the desert and sea of the UAE, but also by traditional Japanese pottery — particularly the Kurinuki technique where a piece is carved out of a solid lump of clay.
