Artist Spotlight: Elaheh Amini Tirani
An invitation to slow down and understand connection through making
For Love, Re-Written, presented by Auction for Change, ceramic artist Elaheh Amini Tirani invites us to reconsider love not as something fixed or perfect, but as something shaped slowly through care, attention, and presence. Her ceramic practice reflects an understanding of connection that is intimate and deeply human, where form emerges through patience and imperfection is not corrected, but embraced.
When asked how her exploration of form, texture, and materiality connects to love and human connection, Elaheh speaks of clay as a living relationship. “For me, working with clay is an intimate conversation, one that mirrors human relationships,” she explains. Form, she says, “emerges slowly through touch, pressure, and responsiveness; it cannot be forced without consequence.” In this way, her process becomes a reflection of how she understands love itself. Something that requires attentiveness, care, and a willingness to listen rather than control.
Her relationship with clay is deeply emotional. “Creating is not separate from who I am. It emerges from within me,” she says. Feeling, memory, and making are inseparable. Through the act of shaping clay, she discovers connection not only to the material, but “to myself, and to others.”
Elaheh’s work is also shaped by place. When reflecting on how being raised in Iran and now living in Melbourne has influenced the emotional tone of her practice, she describes her ceramics as growing from “an ongoing dialogue between landscape, memory, and history.” The vast deserts, mountains, sun-baked earth, and ancient architecture of Iran instilled in her a sensitivity to texture, rhythm, and natural strength. These impressions continue to surface in her work through layered surfaces and organic forms.
At the same time, Melbourne has gently reshaped her palette and mood. She notes that the city’s “cooler light, coastal surfaces, and muted palette have softened and expanded the emotional tone” of her pieces. Yet beneath these shifts lies a deeper cultural memory.
“As an Iranian, I come from a history marked by resilience, upheaval, and renewal,” she says, a history that cannot be separated from her practice. Each layer of clay carries traces of endurance, adaptation, and continuity.
When asked about the balance between imperfection and harmony, Elaheh speaks with clarity and humility. “Imperfection carries honesty,” she says. It reveals “the trace of the hand, the pressure of a moment, the unpredictability of the material.” Harmony, for her, does not come from control, but from acceptance. “Harmony emerges not from control, but from accepting these irregularities and allowing them to coexist in a resolved whole.”
This philosophy extends beyond the studio. “Beauty often lives in what is uneven, fragile, or unresolved,” she reflects. “Harmony, then, is not perfection. It is a quiet agreement between intention and accident, between strength and fragility.” A piece feels complete not because it is flawless, but because its imperfections belong exactly where they are.
Sustainability and slow production sit at the core of her practice. When speaking about working slowly and intentionally, Elaheh explains that taking her time allows her to truly connect with the clay. “Nothing is forced; everything develops through touch, attention, and a kind of quiet patience,” she says. This approach reflects her values of care and responsibility. “Each piece becomes more than just an object; it carries the care and intention put into it.”
For Elaheh, slow making is not simply a technique.
“It’s a way of being,” she says. Every gesture holds emotion and thought, embedding patience and respect into the work itself. I hope they feel a sense of intimacy and presence, she says. She invites viewers to slow down, to notice textures and irregularities, and to sense “the hand that shaped it and the care that went into it.”
Her ceramics move between function and art, something she deeply values. “A bowl can be both an artwork and a vessel for fruits,” she says, appreciating the way art can quietly exist within everyday rituals. She hopes her work encourages reflection on connection and patience, reminding us that “just as clay responds to touch, our relationships and experiences are shaped by attention, empathy, and care.”
Finally, when asked how her identity as an Iranian woman influences her social and environmental priorities, Elaheh speaks with quiet strength. “Issues like water scarcity and the current social and political unrest, where people are fighting for basic human rights, have shaped my perspective and influence the way I create today,” she says. Growing up in a place where resources are limited taught her the importance of responsibility and thoughtful action.
Heritage remains a guiding force. “Iranian culture’s rich history of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and the poetry of everyday objects teaches me to find beauty in patience, subtlety, and the stories embedded in material and form,” she reflects.
At Love, Re-Written, Elaheh Amini Tirani’s work offers a quiet but powerful reflection on love, resilience, and human connection. Through clay, she invites us to slow down, embrace imperfection, and recognise care as a radical and meaningful act. Her ceramics remind us that love, like making, is shaped over time through attention, vulnerability, and respect, not by force, but by presence.
