School of Creative
Industries
Ashima Desai
Ashima comes from a graphic design background, with experience in branding, illustration and UI/UX. She transitioned into art psychotherapy to deepen the meaning behind her work and further her deep interest in discipline.
The MA Art Therapy programme at LASALLE College of the Arts provided Ashima with valuable learning and clinical experience, allowing her to develop skills essential for this field and work with diverse age groups. Her experience spans settings such as child protection services, as well as crisis shelters housing women and children affected by domestic violence.
Ashima's personal art practice focuses on exploration through mindfulness and clay-making, embracing the sensory and kinaesthetic qualities of the material, which seamlessly integrate with more symbolic and affective forms of expression.
Work
Holding Complexity
Clay, acrylics
25 x 25 cm
(2025)
This artwork reflects Ashima's experience working with clients at a domestic violence shelter in Singapore, capturing her observations of the psychological impact of trauma and their journeys toward healing and recovery.
The work represents art therapy sessions as a holding space, allowing for the processing of deeply complex emotions and the reconstruction of trauma narratives. Ashima chose to work with clay, a sensory medium known for its ability to access traumatic memories that are often difficult to verbalise.
The spiders symbolise the isolating experience of facing domestic violence, while the webs represent strength and resilience as they continue to weave, reconstructing their lives and narratives. The various hand gestures reflect the complex, non-linear stages of emotional processing.
Ashima's hope is for the viewer to feel compassion and admiration for the resilience of those she works with, and to witness the immense effort clients put into their healing and recovery.
