From Matter to Emotion, From Emotion to Matter
by Elaheh Ganji, winner of the 2025 rabih hage bursary
Elaheh Ganji, an Iranian multidisciplinary artist based in London, works at the intersection of art and craft. Her practice is deeply rooted in storytelling, drawing inspiration from the narratives of her everyday surroundings and lived experiences. Through her work, she seeks to distill philosophical and sociopolitical themes into visually compelling and poetic pieces, transforming everyday forms into vessels of meaning.
From Matter to Emotion, From Emotion to Matter is an exhibition comprising a collection of objects most often found on a dining table, a place where conversations unfold, emotions rise, memories are cherished, and thoughts take shape.
Each work begins with a familiar object, transformed through unconventional materials or altered forms. This shift displaces the object from its everyday role and reimagines it as a vessel for abstract human experience. At times, the material itself comes first, visually intriguing and later bound to a story. At other times, the concept leads the way, dictating both form and substance. Together, they give birth to metaphors that reflect our vulnerabilities, desires, and perceptions.
Vase made from soil
Now that you have taken the shape of a vase, and given refuge to the half-withered flowers, are you aware of the life-giving force within you?
Tangled Cutlery
A warm meal, served with tangled cutlery-they call it life.
Matchstick Candelabra
To light is to lose; to keep is to surrender to darkness.
Cloche covered with torn-before-revealed scratch cards
What if…?
Print on placemat
In the crossword of life, where we read fate as ascent or downfall, the C of creation also resides within destruction.
Jigsaw wine glass
Same missing piece, two different placements- one gives a toast, the other loses hold.