Objects suddenly acquire an organic quality, evoking the softness of fur or textile and gaining unique value as each piece responds differently to Rayah's woodturning technique.

For her, it reflects that within everyone lies a rough edge; wild, yet undeniably beautiful.

"There is comfort in repetition, in placing the chisel, again and again. Each gesture is nearly the same, yet never identical, building a quiet rhythm into the surface. The work becomes both a record of labour and a meditation on the act of doing."

Rayah Wauters

Rayah's work is a conversation between hand and material. Only in the end do the fragments lean toward each other, becoming whole by instinct, not design.

Since the beginning of her practice, she has been drawn to what’s often overlooked; humble, undervalued woods like local poplar. Through her hands, these quiet materials gain presence and meaning, transformed into tactile objects of subtle worth.

Photography Tijs Vervecken

RAYAH WAUTERS