Cover If you’ve ever wanted to play on a pink pickleball court, you can thank Hannah Bhatt for the opportunity. (Photo: Fady Younis)
If you’ve ever wanted to play on a pink pickleball court, you can thank Hannah Bhatt for the opportunity. (Photo: Fady Younis)
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Meet Hannah Bhatt, the creative mind behind ceramic studio Uncanny Valley and Pocket Pickle
Hannah Bhatt’s work is instantly recognisable—whether it’s eerie faces looking out from ceramic sculptures, or bright pink pickleball courts popping up in unlikely locations. But to those unfamiliar with Bhatt, it may come as a surprise that these two highly creative and eye-catching concepts have come from the same person. We speak to the artist about the invisible threads that connect her disparate work projects.
Also read: What makes ceramics so attractive in the world of jewellery?
You have a very specific style with Uncanny Valley. Did you know from the beginning that this was the style you wanted to create?
Yeah, it was always my style. Even with my clothing brand Covert Collective, it was always very uncanny creatures or chimaeras. I always say that it’s because when I was growing up, I always felt like a fish out of water. I was the only Borneon in class, right? So I would always draw fish with legs.
What is it that you think people love about your work?
I think it’s the art style, and the stories behind the ceramics. Every piece that I make has a story. Most of the time, whenever people buy a piece from me, they’ll drop me a message and tell me, “You know, this piece is me.” I love that part about my work.
Above Bhatt has been creating ceramics under her studio Uncanny Valley since 2023
Above Bhatt’s ceramics feature eerie, dream-like figures and landscapes
Bhatt has been creating ceramics under her studio Uncanny Valley since 2023
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When did you bring Pocket Pickle into the mix?
Having a community space was a dream that my husband and I always wanted to pursue. We kept it on hold because of the kids and all the other things, and then when pickleball became a trend and we saw that people were trading their nightlife to play pickleball, we were like, ‘Hey, this is what we always wanted to dive into.’
I remember the first time I went to a pickleball court in KL and there was this vibe, it was so fun, it was so community-based. That was something that I really wanted to emulate, and that has never left me. We hunted for a permanent space at first, found a rooftop space in Raja Chulan and decided to pursue it. But there was a lot of red tape—it was an old building, a lot of submissions and all of that. I was like, it’d be nice if we could just rent a pickleball court, you know, like a mat. And then we thought: Yeah, let’s try it. Let’s try this portable business.
Are you the first to create a portable pickleball court?
We are the first in Malaysia! The idea of mats has always been there, but they were for permanent hard courts for people who don’t want to lay concrete. We found a factory to help us R&D this—a mat that we could move around to different locations. They sent us all the swatches to test the grittiness, the weight, the bounce.
So you could do a pickleball pop up anywhere.
Yes, as long as you have the space. We have indoor and outdoor ones that can withstand the rain and the sun; so as long as they’re on a good surface, they’re pretty durable. We shot our first campaign shoot, didn’t know how it would go, and then Starhill saw the campaign shoot and reached out to us.
Whose idea was the pink court?
Mine [laughs]. I felt that would help us pop out as not a regular court. And it’s a hit, our pink is always fully booked.
Do you have a different style of working, between Pocket Pickle and Uncanny Valley?
I look at ceramics as my emotional outlet. So I pour my emotions into my sculpting. And then when it comes to Pocket Pickle, it’s like a joyful social experiment on building communities in creative ways. We’ve done a lot of events, and they’re all one of a kind. We did Beat the Ace. We did Pickle Pong. And then we had a pickle-making workshop last week. It's the first time for all of this in Malaysia. To me, that’s exciting.
So it's the same creative muscle, you’re just using it differently.
Yeah. I feel like it’s a very nice balance because, you know, when I’m here and focusing on doing events back-to-back, I feel like I can go home back to my studio where I come home to myself. And then when I’m busy at home sculpting, when I finally come out and do an event, I feel like I’m back out in the world.
What are you most proud of having achieved within your work with Uncanny Valley?
By far, last year when I raised funds for a town in Sabah to have electricity. I got 20 different artists all over Malaysia to paint on my sculptures and we auctioned the pieces. And we managed to raise the funds—that I was really, really proud of.
And with Pocket Pickle?
I think within the community we have now. Ever since we started Pocket Pickle in May, we’ve had more than a thousand subscribers on our app. And the connection that we make is very lasting too—all the people that met at our events Swipe Less and Pickle Pong, they still hang out. To us, community is very, very central in what we do.
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Emma Chong is the Managing Editor of Tatler Malaysia, overseeing the editorial direction and vision for the print, digital and social media arms of the title. She has over 15 years experience in fashion and lifestyle publishing, and has led print and digital editorial teams at ELLE Malaysia, Time Out Kuala Lumpur, The Luxe Nomad and more.
Outside of work, Emma spends her time wrangling children (only her own) and boosting the Malaysian economy through her support of local fashion and homeware brands.
