Pooja Pawaskar, the visionary behind the brand Whirl & Whittle is an artist on the rise blending her passion between creating sculptural art pieces and everyday home-wear embodying her signature take on wabi-sabi. Beautifully documenting her process along the way, Pawaskar is a fresh breath of organic minimalism, taking us on a journey through her inner-workings of primitive shapes and soft lines.

Tell us a little about you, your life, and how you got to where you are today.

I am Indian-born Canadian artist behind Whirl & Whittle. I create sculptural pieces which celebrate the inherent beauty in each object's peculiarities. In a world that relies heavily on flawlessness and statics, I embrace blemish in my works and myself. My work is grounded in the belief that the world around us, and, the things within it are unique rather than imperfect.

Growing up in a multigenerational home in Mumbai, India, my grandfather introduced me to woodworking at a young age. He is a formally trained carpenter and model maker. I spent many of my days observing him make furniture and hand-carved pieces. His love for design and grasp of technique captivated me and bled into my own practice. Driven by a fascination for design and art, I studied architecture at Mumbai University; however, it was in my final year that my true passion for building furniture was unearthed. This realization inspired me to shift gears and apply for a furniture design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2014, I relocated to Savannah, Georgia, USA, to pursue Masters in furniture design. After the initial cultural shock, I recognized that this was what I was waiting for. Surrounded by avant-garde technology and excellent collaborators, I used the following two years of learning and exploring my passion for handmade. Upon graduating in 2016, I began my career as a furniture designer at Stylex Seating in New Jersey—an opportunity that brought me tremendous growth but left me craving handmade pieces. On weekends I would work on honing my woodworking skill at a communal workshop in New York City. In 2019, I relocated to Canada and followed my desire to become an artist. In late 2019, I registered my business, and Whirl & Whittle was born.

Since then, I have launched four collections, which include an array of furniture and abstract sculptures. Currently, my work is showcased in 3 galleries and at the Gensler NYC office. My work is exhibited at Galeria Azur until January 13th, which coincides with Art Basel 2022.

How do you feel the art world scene is in Ontario these days?

The current is shifting. Western European art is essentially what art history is to us. But with a large population of young artists in Canada being either immigrants or first-generation, a ton of new approaches are seen in the Ontario or, rather, Canadian art scene in general. Many contemporary artists are focusing on creating a legacy and celebrating their community. Curators are slowly providing support to homegrown BIPOC talent. They are actively looking for diverse art, which will offer us an opportunity to expand our idea of who we recognize as landmark artists. I believe we should see a lot more landmark artist that are female and/or BIPOC.

How do you stay connected to your Indian roots in your current environment?

I had lost my connection with my Indian roots for a few years. But an Ottawa-based friend of mine, Swati, helped me reconnect with my roots. She is a mohiniyattam dancer. Mohiniyattam is an ancient Indian dance form banned during the British Empire and reborn after India's independence. Swati often performs at Ottawa's city hall and is well-versed in Indian culture and history. Since I saw her perform for the first time, I have actively tried to educate myself on Indian art forms and their history.

I plan to create a collection around this dance form. It's still in the works. I don't intend to rush it, but rather allow it to evolve on its own and take shape.

I also take trips to India and make it a point to explore a different region every time. This year I explored the central-west coast. My ancestors hail from there, but I knew little about that region until I went there. Its rich history mesmerized me. The area has rich red soil, and I plan to use that in my creations someday.

How did the name Whirl & Whittle come about?

Funny story, Whirl and Whittle was just an IG account where I posted my art when I lived in New Jersey. This was back in 2016/17 when I started using a communal woodworking studio in NYC. I used to create there on the weekends and long weekends. A lot of it was trial and error. Some pieces were just awful, but also an indicator that I had good taste, and I needed to hone my skills to get them to where they needed to be before I could create good work.

What are some of the differences between your fine art pieces and your everyday objects?

My home decor/everyday objects are led by function. There have minimalist designs where the form follows the function. Whereas my more sculptural pieces have the role of narrating stories. My sculptures talk about beauty in impermanence and imperfection and raise questions about the status quo, which I think is a function in itself.

What is at least one message you hope people receive from your work?

I want people to understand that there is beauty in imperfections and impermanence. In today's day and age, there is so much pressure on us to be youthful, flawless, and beautiful. But there is beauty in embracing the change time brings with it. There is beauty in growing old. Getting old and getting scarred (both physically and emotionally) bring wisdom with them. And the essence of life falls under that wisdom.

What are 3 things that inspire you.

- The wisdom of wabi-sabi is my biggest influencer. I rely on it not just for creating my work but also for I live my life.

- Ancient techniques of creating art, like, urushi lacquer application, method of applying gold leaf, coiling techniques for homebuilding ceramics, etc

- Art history - I enjoy reading about art. Lately, I have been enjoying reading about Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, and Constantine Brancusi.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself running a successful creative studio. I see myself collaborating with other artists, companies and creatives.

Inside The World of Whirl & Whittle