Sayaka Ganz

Featured Artist

Courtesy photo

September 29, 2005

One of three award winners from the Fifth

Regional Exhibition in January, Sayaka Ganz, the

young metal sculptor, brings a wispy breath of

freshness to Artlink's Regional Winners show set

to open next Friday and run through November 9.

That'’s not to diminish the efforts of

photo-magician Steve Perfect or the figurative

water colors of Gwen Gutwein, whose works will

complete the three-person exhibition.

The diminutive Ganz, who teaches drawing and

design fundamentals at IPFW, simply scores high

with her maturely executed menagerie of deer,

horses, large cats, dogs, eagles and cranes.

(Note: These are not your Walt Disney-like,

anthropomorphic versions of critters rendered to

take up space on an office desk..)

Using rusted scrap iron and steel elements

scavenged from local yards Ganz spot welds the

sometimes raw, sometimes reshaped, pieces in

skeletonal, realistic representations of her

wildlife pets. The business end of a pitchfork is

caressed to form a horse’s mane. A handleless

trowel becomes one ear; a thick hinge, partially

folded, suggests the other. Pieces of bicycles -

sprockets, frames, fenders, chains - together

with a small birdcage are arranged as the animal’

s innards. Using a Miller arc welder frees one

hand to position and hold an element while

tacking in place with the other.

But more than the masterful craftsmanship and

technique Ganz displays in her pieces it is the

refined, riveting vision she shows in their

conception that marvels.

"The scrap metal is ultimately what triggers my

imagination," writes the artist. "Every piece has

its own history and memory - bent, torn and

rusted from wear and the elements. Looking at

them inspires me, and instinctively I see a dog's

head, a limb, and a deer's back. Sometimes they

end up getting used in some other way, or they

are rediscovered anew. The whole process has a

great sense of mystery that I find exciting.

"It is always the one subtle piece that I place

in an unexpected way that makes the animal come

to life in my eyes. I try to push consciously the

overall asymmetry of the stance and the structure

of each body. This, I feel, separates my work

from some of the other scrap metal animal works

that I've seen."

"Indeed some viewers may liken Ganz's work to

the bronze horses of Deborah Butterfield, but

those equines are often initially molded then

cast in bronze or other materials. In addition,

Butterfield's work in some cases lack the

animation Ganz gives to her works. The comparison

is to a horse of a different color.

Ganz's influences are many, varied and even surprising.

"I actually earned my BFA from Indiana

Bloomington in printmaking which I continue to

practice and enjoy," the articulate teacher

explains. "I count among my influences the works

of Mark Tobey and Jackson Pollock. It's a puzzle

to some [even her former professors] that I can

encompass appreciation for both the abstract and

figurative styles."

"It was toward the end of her degree program

that Ganz was first introduced to metal work and

welding, but without a car she was challenged to

scout out the raw materials she needed. Unfazed

by the lack of transport, she mined the

left-overs, the leavings that her fellow students

discarded in studio bins and outdoor containers.

One person’s trash becomes another's treasure.

In the short time since she's left her studies

Ganz has shown in a number of exhibition's

including appearances in Bloomington, Saint

Francis, Artlink, IPFW, Arkansas, Illinois and

Huntington. She has taught origami classes, catalogued

prints at IU and developed clip art illustrations

of modern and traditional Japanese objects. She

spends Saturdays teaching her native tongue to

elementary students in Indianapolis, and there is

talk of a teaching installation at the Fort Wayne

Museum of Art.

Born in Yokohama, Ganz traveled with her family

to Brazil, Hong Kong and back to Japan before

landing in Bloomington 10 years ago. Throughout

her youth and adolescence the artist developed an

affinity and love for both animals and

origami.

"As a young child I remember getting very

excited when I first learned how to make origami

animals," she recalled. "My sculptures reflect my

experience of searching for abstract shapes and

the folds of paper that come together to create

the image of an animal."

Therein exists a certain irony which became

apparent during a recent visit with the artist at

the modest home she shares with fellow art

teacher and husband Chris (himself an

accomplished printmaker), located within the

proverbial stone's throw from the IPFW campus.

Sayaka's studio, situated in a small detached

garage, nearly spills over with crates, boxes,

bins and buckets of patina-coated scrap metal. So

much so that at first glance it is difficult to

discern her finished pieces against the backdrop

of the weighty objects awaiting assembly.

Then, after a short studio tour - poof! - we're

sitting at the dining room table tackling the

intricacies of folding a paper crane. My initial

presentation of an origami sampan paled in

comparison to her version of the internationally

recognized symbol of peace.

From heavy metal to delicate paper folding Ganz

demonstrates an unusual touch that is both rare

and serenely satisfying.

Check her stuff out along with the other award

winners at Artlink. Ganz does have a website

under construction, but one can visit an earlier

version courtesy of her webmaster sister-in-law

at

www.kellyganz.com/ganzgallery.