Sayaka Ganz: Reclaimed Creations

Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., David J. Wagner, Ph.D.,
Curator/Tour Director

Contemporary artist, Sayaka Ganz, utilizes reclaimed plastic objects such as discarded utensils, like brush strokes which appear visibly unified at a distance though separated at close proximity, in the exhibition Reclaimed Creations. Featured in the Liberty Hall Academic Center Gallery at Kean University, this exhibition blends together “art and sustainability,” the Galleries at Kean artistic theme for the 2022-2023 academic year. Ganz describes her style as “3D impressionism.” 

Sculptures in the exhibition include recent installations of animals in motion which are rich in color and energy and create an illusion of form. “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 (but not identical) direction. Similarly, it is important to gain perspective by stepping back from current problems and look at the larger picture. Then one can perceive the beauty and patterns that exist,” states Ganza.

"Reclaimed Creations embodies the rich beauty of nature through the use of reused materials. The Galleries at Kean are honored to host this exhibition by Ganz to raise awareness of climate change, and connect the community to the importance of sustainability,” said Lynette Zimmerman, executive director of the Liberty Hall Academic Center and the Galleries at Kean.

Tickets go on sale November 25, 2022. 

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 use mostly common household items to create animal forms with a sense of movement and self-awareness. I use plastics because of the variety of curvilinear forms and colors available. I manipulate and assemble them together as brush strokes to create an effect similar to a Van Gogh painting in three dimensions.

One of the important tasks for artists of our time is to bring more of the natural world back into people's lives, especially in urban areas. When we encounter the true wonders of nature, the beauty we behold transcends our intellects and reaches directly to our hearts. I desire a similar response from viewers of my work; to provoke a re-examination of our relationship to the natural world.

My work is also 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 (but not identical) direction. Similarly, it is important to gain perspective by stepping back from current problems and look at the larger picture. Then one can perceive the beauty and patterns that exist. I tend to be very analytical about problems, but when I look too hard and closely at the details, all I see are gaps and differences of opinions. When I step back, I can see that although we may approach the problem from different angles, we often have larger goals in common.

Sayaka Ganz (2015)