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Salih Zeki Sayar

Ceramic, Photography, Sculpture / Installation, Visual / Media

I create sculptures that explore the relationship between form, material, and emotion, where fragility meets strength, movement meets stillness, and each piece invites viewers to experience transformation, boundaries, and the fluidity of life.

About the Artist

Sculptor | Ceramic Artist | Adjunct Professor | Co-founder of MUSZ Studio Salih Zeki Sayar is a sculptor and ceramic artist who translates the inspiring textures of nature and the depths of human experience into expressive ceramic and mixed-media forms. As the cofounder and artist of MUSZ Studio since 2021, he has developed a distinctive artistic voice that merges traditional ceramic techniques with experimental approaches, bringing imaginative narratives to life through clay and beyond. Sayar is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he leads students in mastering the fundamentals of clay while encouraging them to push boundaries through interdisciplinary exploration. He inspires students to view art as a means of storytelling and to see their creative process as a bridge between the tactile and the conceptual. Currently, Sayar holds a studio residency at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, where his practice thrives amidst a vibrant community of artists. Here, imagination takes shape and creativity finds its home. His studio is a place of continuous experimentation—a space where clay becomes a medium to question, reflect, and connect with others.

Salih Zeki Sayar website MUSZ Studio Salih Zeki Sayar website Salih Zeki Sayar

Artist's Statement

Every sculpture I create begins with a question—a curiosity that drives me to explore the relationship between form, material, and meaning. My practice is rooted in the physical act of shaping clay, where each gesture leaves a mark, capturing the dialogue between my hands and the material. Clay, with its raw and responsive nature, becomes both medium and collaborator, allowing me to transform it into figures that hold personal and universal narratives. I am drawn to the tactile immediacy of sculpture and its ability to convey complex ideas through physical presence. My works often embody dualities—strength and fragility, motion and stillness, the organic and the constructed. By engaging directly with the material’s properties, I allow texture, form, and structure to guide my decisions. Each piece reflects a dialogue between intention and accident, where the unpredictable nature of clay mirrors life’s uncertainties. The figures I create exist between reality and imagination. Shaped by their environment—both physical and conceptual—they carry traces of their creation. Surfaces reveal layers of construction and erosion, hinting at stories beneath the exterior. This focus on materiality and process is central to my work, aiming to create pieces that feel both timeless and present. Through my sculptures, I explore transition and boundary—how forms shift between states and how in-between spaces hold meaning. My figures often suggest movement or metamorphosis, reflecting the fluid nature of identity and experience. I am particularly interested in how sculpture occupies space and how viewers engage with these forms on a sensory and emotional level.

Featured Work

Photos

This sculpture tells the story of a bird who belongs nowhere and everywhere at once. It moves through skies and seasons with unwavering courage, carrying invisible burdens yet always reaching its destination. Sometimes its wings feel heavy, weighed down by challenges, and other times they lift it effortlessly across vast distances. Weather, obstacles, or doubts hold no power over it—the bird follows only where its heart and dreams lead. It is a creature of transformation and resilience, a silent hero of its own journey, inviting viewers to witness the beauty of persistence and the freedom found in moving bravely toward the unknown.
My sculpture depicts a figure contorted in self-embrace, symbolizing inner struggle and resilience. One half of the body transforms into thorns, representing pain and hardship, while the other remains human, reflecting strength and the enduring spirit. This piece speaks to the universal power of overcoming adversity, celebrating the transformative journeys and diverse experiences that shape our humanity.
This sculpture tells the story of a figure preparing for battle against the world’s challenges. Armed to face external enemies, the figure ultimately confronts a moment where the weapon may turn inward, reflecting the complexities of struggle and self-defense. Surrounding the figure, smaller scorpions symbolize the many external adversaries it faces, highlighting both courage and the delicate balance between confrontation and vulnerability. The piece captures the tension between strength and fragility, inviting viewers to reflect on resilience, strategy, and the inner battles we all endure.
This sculpture depicts a figure striving toward their goals, working and struggling with determination. Yet in the pursuit of what they desire, the figure becomes entangled—bound by attachments, trapped by the very things meant to aid their journey. It reflects the paradox of human effort: in seeking freedom and fulfillment, we often find ourselves held captive by unseen forces. The piece captures the tension between aspiration and entrapment, inviting viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between striving for our dreams and the unseen bonds that can shape or limit us.
his sculpture imagines a familiar creature in a wholly new context—a rabbit, once bounding freely across the fields, reimagined as an extension of a coral, inhabiting the depths of the sea. It transforms the known into the unknown, blending land and underwater worlds, evoking wonder and the limitless possibilities of imagination.