Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Johnson Tsang’s Surreal, Porcelain Faces Carry Wide-Ranging Emotions

Sculptor and ceramics artist Johnson Tsang, based in Hong Kong, creates surreal, spellbinding faces in porcelain. Dramatic and often humorous, these characters are warped in varying emotions, whether it’s a distorted, yet intimate kiss, total relaxation while being massaged, or contorted far behind comfort. Two series from this year, “Lucid Dream” and “Stillness,” show just how wide-ranging the artist’s imagination can be, all using the human face as its foundation. Tsang's work last appeared on HiFructose.com here.


Sculptor and ceramics artist Johnson Tsang, based in Hong Kong, creates surreal, spellbinding faces in porcelain. Dramatic and often humorous, these characters are warped in varying emotions, whether it’s a distorted, yet intimate kiss, total relaxation while being massaged, or contorted far behind comfort. Two series from this year, “Lucid Dream” and “Stillness,” show just how wide-ranging the artist’s imagination can be, all using the human face as its foundation.
Tsang’s work last appeared on HiFructose.com here.





“Stillness” is the newer series, and it was recently featured in the conference Ink Asia 2016 in Hong Kong. These works are some of his most kinetic yet, with porcelain splashes and collision putting the works at odds with one another. Here, it’s the artist’s knack for realism that makes the liquids and extend beyond the wall.






Tsang’s pieces have been exhibited across the world, from U.S. and Denmark to Korea and his native China. His several awards include the “Special Prize” of “Korea Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011 International Competition” and “Grand Prize” of “2012 Taiwan International Ceramics Biennale.” (He’s the first Chinese artist to nab these two awards.)

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
The elaborate distortions created by Hong Kong-based sculptor Johnson Tsang continue to evolve, with a recent showing at Giant Year Gallery of works from his “Lucid Dream” series. Tsang was last mentioned on HiFructose.com here, and he was recently featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 46.
Masayoshi Hanawa’s intricate ceramic and resin creatures are pulled from the artist’s internal mythology. His creations are filled with mosaic-like detail, each corner of a monster a meticulously crafted and vibrant pattern.
Korean ceramics artist Maeng Wookjae creates strange animals and figures that feel both familiar, yet disconcertingly outside the realm of reality. Yet, the artist’s work may be more tethered to our own world than one would imagine. In a statement, he details his thought process in engaging with the viewer, saying one “not only intellectually comprehends the work but also viscerally appreciates it if their preconceptions are challenged or senses other than sight are stimulated.”
The brutal paintings of Cleon Peterson (covered here) have a visceral effect on the viewer, plunging them deeply into a world of chaos, ruin and violence. On August 29th, Peterson brings his iconic style to Detroit's Library Street Collective for his latest exhibition, "Poison." "The show is about revenge, which is a current of poison running through our culture and other cultures around the world." Peterson shares. "It's often a motivation for war and a justification for punishment. It is a social impulse that is destructive and easy to be complicit in." Peterson is deliberate in his unflinching presentation of the darker side of human nature. In this world, muscle-headed brutes cross swords and knives, locked in a cycle of aggression.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List