In her latest body of work, Chala Toprak draws from the transformative power of fire and ash through the practice of Anagama firing, a traditional Japanese ceramic technique. The process unfolds over many days of continuous stoking and gradual cooling, requiring patience, presence, and a willingness to surrender to forces beyond control. Within this sustained exchange between material and flame, ash becomes more than residue—it becomes an agent of change, settling unpredictably and initiating a quiet rebirth.

When the kiln is finally opened, the results reveal the culmination of this elemental collaboration. Ash returns as surface, glaze, and mark, honoring each vessel with a singular imprint shaped by time and fire. In these works, Toprak celebrates transformation not as an end point, but as a passage—where intensity gives way to beauty, and material finds its renewed life through process.