House of Experts Ep 42: Vibha Kagzi in conversation with renowned Sculptor, Arzan Khambatta

House of Experts is a show that ReachIvy kick-started to help those who are unclear about their career choices. We hope through these sessions with some very successful people, we can shed light on a new career path every week. House of Experts plans to make a collection of interactive and informative sessions with experts from various domains.  

Vibha Kagzi, the host, is the Founder and CEO of ReachIvy.com, a premium study abroad and career consultancy organization. Vibha, a Harvard alumna, is a successful entrepreneur and believes in helping others chalk out their future careers.  

In episode 42 of House of Experts, we were fortunate to host, Arzan Khambatta, renowned Sculptor.

Arzan Khambatta is an Architect by profession and a sculptor by choice. Encouraged by his parents, he started sculpting in his teens by scouting the streets, garages, construction sites for scrap metal, and welding them into pieces of art he fondly christened “SCRAPTURES”. A word that has become synonymous with Arzan.

Khambatta’s works are found in corporate houses, hotels, and private collections around the world and range from six inches to seventy feet in height, The most prominent ones being THE LEGEND, a sculpture made from the scrap
of INS Vikrant, which pays tribute to the ship itself, and the DOLPIHNS at Worli.

One of his largest works is a 3.5 ton, 25 feet diameter suspension in an atruium of a building in Pune. Currently 13 solo shows and over 100 group shows and charity auctions around the country and the globe, Arzan has embarked on a venture that is close to his heart, namely Photography. He also made a small film titled “DECIBEL”, a whacky view on noise pollution in our city. This movie has had successful screenings at the Kaala Ghoda festivals.

Some excerpts from the interview:

1) Tell us something about your childhood and early years.
I did my schooling in Jamnabai Narsee, and at that time, it was one of the best schools around. My school life was very exciting and something off the beaten track. However, I was never very good in studies. But, every book of mine had sketches in them. Now that I think of it, I was naturally wired that way and there was also a tremendous push from my parents.It’s interesting that even in my art class, I would not follow the instructions given by my art teacher, because it was boring! I always had this crazy urge to do things my way.Till date, I love doing that. I experimented and let myself go!

2)How did you transition to sculpting?
Early on, I found that I was better with 3D things than colours. After my 10th standard, we were all pushed to summer classes. The art teacher there was conducting very interesting and unconventional classes, exactly the way I liked. He taught us in the studio of a well known sculptor. When I entered that place, it had his incomplete works and sketches. I also saw the machines and the metals in that studio and that was the turning point for me.

3) What does a day in your life look like?
On a normal day, I stop working at 5. That is something I’ve been following for a long time. I usually wake up by 8 and reach my studio by 9. I finish most of my work before 1. It’s like I don’t even realize how time goes by when I’m working. I break for lunch at that time and then I’m back at the studio and I continue working till5. In that small, compressed day, I manage to finish a lot of stuff. A lot of thinking, sketching, modification is done. Everything is very well planned. I don’t like wasting time at all. In order for me to feel good, I need to have a very regimented day.

4) Where do you find your creative inspiration?
As an artist, you never stop thinking. It’s very difficult to say when exactly those ideas come. But, I love seeing different places. In your daily life, you need breaks to create excitement. When you’re travelling, you’re completely changing your location, which takes you to another zone. The mind needs to take these breaks. When I’m most tired from the studio, I just take a walk in the garden. These days, people get more mentally tired than physically tired. When you get some physical exercise, it really rejuvenates you.

5) What message do you have for those who want to get into this field?
I just have two words to say- Experiment fearlessly. Whenever I go to conduct workshops, I see the parents of children supervising them and constantly telling them what to do. Let the children be. Because of this constant control, children are not able to create fearlessly, so this really needs to be broken.
According to me, inquisitiveness, the ability to think out of the box and self-belief are the three most important qualities for someone who wants to get into this field.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Arzan for sharing his journey and learnings with us.

Missed out on the previous house of expert episodes? You can watch them here

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