The expression of movement is always a challenge for those of us who work with the sculptural form – but when an artist transcends the grounded physicality of the medium, the result can be one of awe and surprise.
Johnson Cheung-shing Tsang is a Hong Kong sculptor specializing in ceramics, stainless steel sculpture and public art. Much of Tsang’s artwork artfully combines realist sculptural techniques with surrealist imagination, often integrating human beings and objects together into fascinating creative themes.
Tsang’s work literally explodes, making the viewer believe the piece is actually in motion, as the mind fills in the gaps and continues the movement mentally. The artist especially enjoys taking simple, everyday cups and plates and pushing the boundaries of their form and function.
“Clay is a wonderful medium for me to realize my imagination and wild thoughts about a bowl, an utensil that we use every day,” says Tsang of his newest work.
Tsang brings excitement to familiar forms. “Let pottery unleash your creativity!” he advises his students who attend his workshops.
To Tsang, the possibility of form is endless. Many of the works are thrown on the wheel, then modeled into their own uniqueness.
Yuanyang II, below, is re-creation of a similar piece that suffered a tiny fracture in the making…..
Having seen the original, “Yuanyang I”, Tsang’s students couldn’t understand why he would take the time and trouble to re-create the same piece, just because of a tiny fracture. “The answer is that the tiny fracture gave me an excuse to repeat something that I truly enjoyed doing and to re-experience the pleasure of it,” says Tsang. “Even more important, I knew there was room for improvement, and I didn’t want to let a really good idea go to waste. In my view, time spent making art is never wasted.”
I find that impressive, the willingness to keep working at a piece, re-creating it until the intended result is achieved. Passion and perseverance are what makes a good talent great.
Johnson Tsang’s artwork can be viewed at: Pottery Farm HK
The 365 Days Project
In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.
Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.
Leave a Reply