About the Artist
Joanne Najjar is a Lebanese sculptural ceramic artist whose practice explores the physical expression of emotion through movement.
With a background in mathematics and computer science, Joanne has loved painting since childhood and has always felt drawn to art. When she discovered ceramics, she felt an immediate connection with clay, as though she had finally found the form of expression she had been searching for.
Working from her studio in the mountains of Lebanon, she creates handbuilt stoneware sculptures in which forms rise, open, reach and unfold. Despite the inherent weight of clay, her work seeks a sense of lightness, as though the forms were caught in motion and suspended just before transformation.
Artistic Practice
My work is about translating emotions into clay, capturing movement at a moment when it feels most alive, and holding it in the stillness of ceramics.
Working with handbuilt stoneware, I create sculptures inspired by nature, emotions, and the movements we experience within ourselves. I am drawn to the balance between strength and softness, control and spontaneity. I shape each curve, fold, and opening with intention, exploring how movement, weight, and empty space can come together in a single form.
Through my Wave collection, I explore feelings of freedom, joy, and ambition. Each form reaches outward and upward, as if trying to hold on to a moment before it disappears. My Rise collection explores deeper emotions, such as desire, belonging, memory, and inner thoughts. Each movement becomes a way of expressing something that is often difficult to put into words.
Above all, I look for a sense of peace in my work. Emotions come and go, but I believe peace is something deeper and more lasting. I want my sculptures to hold the strength of an emotion and the quietness of peace.
