SAYAKA GANZ
- ARTISTIC HUB MAGAZINE
- Apr 28
- 6 min read
Japan
Transforming Discarded Items into Soulful Art
Sayaka Ganz’s art is not just a display of beauty, it’s a deeply personal story told through reclaimed objects and recycled materials. Growing up across different cultures, from Japan to Brazil and Hong Kong, Sayaka developed a unique artistic perspective that intertwines the Shinto belief in the spirit of all things with modern environmental awareness. In her skilled hands, discarded plastic items become poetic animal sculptures that exude movement and vibrancy, carrying an essential message about conservation and the value we often overlook. This interview reveals not only the process behind these exceptional creations but also the profound inspiration that fuels each piece.
You spent your childhood in Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong, later continuing your education and career in the United States. How have these varied cultural experiences, along with the Shinto belief in the spirit of objects, shaped your artistic path and philosophy? How does this sense of reverence and connection to the spirit of objects find expression in your work?
I think that the Shinto belief was something that really helped me cope when I was struggling with the new school in a foreign country. Sometimes, I didn’t have anyone to eat lunch with, so I would sit and watch the insects or share my lunch with the chickens. And the animals were my friends. Once I was thinking about how animals may be feeling, it was an easy jump to start thinking about how my stuffed animals may be feeling. And then, what about my brother’s train, or my puzzle piece that fell behind the bookshelf? All of these things kept me company when I was lonely. They were all my friends. I think this is what makes me want to find a place for all these abandoned objects to belong to, where they can be a part of something truly inspiring and extraordinary.
As a child, you enjoyed making toys from materials your mother used in her hobbies. How did this early passion for transforming everyday materials evolve from play into a serious artistic direction? Is that sense of play and creativity something you still feel when working with reclaimed items?
That’s a very interesting question. I think that my current process for making larger plastic animal sculptures gets roughly divided into two very different halves. The first half involves designing and building the armature. This is a meticulously calculated and planned process that requires a lot of measuring and precision. I’m mostly using new materials that come in predictable forms and shape them into what I need. It’s very controlled.
The second half is attaching the plastic objects onto the armature, and this process is very intuitive, spontaneous and much more fun for me. This half is the part where I get to experience the sense of play. I actually enjoy both the first and second halves, but the physical execution is definitely more fun in the second half. The enjoyment of the first half is more in imagining a piece and designing the armature.
You’ve described your creative process as piecing together a puzzle, where each shape and color contributes to achieving perfect harmony. Could you walk us through this process, from gathering different colors and textures to crafting sculptures that exude motion? Which part of this process brings you the most satisfaction?
Early on in my career I spent more time gathering and building my collection of materials, from thrift stores, donations from local companies and friends and family, but as I grew more experienced I have learned that some kinds of plastics work better than others, and that some shapes work better than others for the kinds of forms I like to create. The gathering process feels like a scavenger hunt, and it brings me great joy when I feel I’ve had a successful find. But there are also times when I see large quantities of plastic objects that are just not the right shapes, or that would work great but there are way too many for me to take and store in my studio or storage space. Those times I return home feeling a little bit deflated or overwhelmed. The gathering is very much an on-going project and many of my friends show me an old kitchen utensil or toy before they get thrown away. I have learned to always ask to see the objects first before someone brings over their unwanted plastics. I don’t go shopping for plastics very often these days, but I still acquire quite a few each year just from donations and items I find on the streets.
When I’m assembling my sculptures and attaching the plastics, this is when I really feel my creative flow. It’s such an intuitive process, it feels to me like my brain quiets down and lets my eyes and hands do all the work, and make all the decisions. I add a piece, step back to look, and if it looks great then I keep the item there and add another. I keep adding until it looks too full, then go back and start subtracting some of the pieces that are making the sculpture feel too dense. Then I look again. Every time I look the sculpture looks a little bit more alive. I just love this feeling.
You’ve shared that you aim to raise ecological awareness through inspiration rather than a negative message. What reactions do you see from audiences viewing your work, and how do you believe art can serve as a medium for inspiring positive change in our attitudes toward waste and value?
“I will never look at my plastic trash the same way “ is the comment I receive most frequently, and it makes me very happy. I hope to help my audience see the potential for great beauty in what they may have considered to be valueless before.
The animals you depict in your sculptures seem to come alive through color and form. Is there a particular reason you often choose animals as a subject? How do they contribute to your message about our connection to nature and the importance of preserving ecosystems?
Animals are very relatable. No one would argue that animals aren’t alive. When I make animal forms with the discarded objects, I do so with the hope that some of these feelings we feel toward animals, such as compassion, respect, awe, and love, can extend also to these discarded objects.
Recycled art as a medium is gaining more and more attention. Do you have plans to explore new materials or themes that might deepen the exploration of our relationship with nature?
I’m not a very good planner. I think part of it was shaped by my childhood, moving to different countries every three years or so. At every school I was told to plan for my future and set goals, but so often my future took such a different turn that any goal I had set became irrelevant. But I still managed to find good friends and got good grades despite all the uncertainty, and my family survived and now I’m able to make art as my work! I trust that the right opportunities will come to me. Every project that I had the pleasure to work on taught me something about discarded objects, pollution, beauty, and our relationship to nature.
Looking back on your artistic journey, how do you feel you’ve evolved as both an artist and an individual through working with reclaimed materials? What message would you like to leave for future generations of artists exploring ecological art?
Looking back, as a student I was not particularly interested in social problems or even ecology. I did love animals, but my world view was very narrow. I didn’t become interested in environmental issues until I started making animal forms with discarded plastics. Then the information was brought to my attention inevitably through people who saw my work. It was as though the animals and the plastics conspired to teach me about the world. Then through learning and thinking about plastic pollution and human behavior around waste, I became more interested in other social issues like poverty and inequality as well.
There was a period of about a year when I began to focus too heavily on my message, feeling that valuable art should produce direct results in society. This made me depressed and I was thinking about quitting making sculptures for a while. I discovered that to me, being strategic and looking for results felt very manipulative and it brought me no joy.
To our future generations of artists exploring ecological art- I would like to encourage you to keep making the kind of art that lights you up and brings you joy. It’s inspiring to watch someone who is really passionate and skilled at something and it can look effortless and magical. But when someone is working very hard and making a lot of personal sacrifices to do something that is virtuous, while it is admirable it doesn’t necessarily make me want to follow their lead. I think we need to think about environmental sustainability and our personal sustainability (physical and mental health, finance, time, etc.) as equally important.
Through her art, Sayaka Ganz reminds the world that true artistry lies not just in the material but in the spirit and purpose it embodies. Her sculptures invite us to reconsider our relationship with waste and challenge us to find worth in the seemingly worthless. Sayaka’s message is clear and uplifting: create art that brings joy and raises awareness, for therein lies the power to inspire change, not just for ourselves, but for the planet we share.
