Julien Tang
Ceramic Art
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Artist Statement
My practice is a living evidence of me trudging through life with cautious curiosity; figurative sculpture is my primary crutch. I embrace chance and experimentation by infusing 'happenings' into my pieces, a technique term 'glazing.' This method empowers me to harness the unique transformative nature of clay and glaze to amplify the theatricality and poignancy of human sentiment and ephemerality of existence.
Inspired by slow cinema's portrayal of the body and its focus on unspoken emotions, I aim to establish a connection with the inner lives of both the figures and the viewers. My ceramic narratives encapsulate the essence of the 'cinematic body,' capturing moments, drama, and nuanced compositions within each sculpture.
The storylines I craft draw from East Asian literature, popular culture, and cross-cultural perspectives. As a Taiwanese artist, my background is fundamental to my work, informing both the themes I find intriguing and my artistic approach. Beyond aesthetics, my inquiry examines the complexities of human behavior, psychology, and the sociopolitical landscape, seeking a more cohesive understanding of humanity.
Through the convergence of sculpture, video, and performance, each piece contemplates the art-making as a form of self-help — an elegy to impermanence. My goal is to evoke a lifelike presence, with these works lingering for those who resonate, much like a sentimental ballad. They etch a piece of time for viewers to hold onto, inviting engagement and reflecting the intricacy of human experience.
Julien Tang is a Taiwanese visual artist who holds a BFA and an MA in Crafts and Design. Focused on figurative sculpture, she infuses 'happenings' into her work through glazing to create scenarios. She has been selected for the 2024 Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, received the Second Award at the 41st Concurs Internacional de Ceràmica de l’Alcora in Spain (2022), the Fifty Award in the 24th International Portrait Competition (2022), and was awarded a scholarship from the American Ceramic Circle.
Click to view A wall-mounted sculpture of fragmented human figures with missing upper bodies and from thighs down, wearing stained underpants. The other figure, holding a camera, is displayed on a bed, as if taking a picture of the cropped wall sculpture. Full-Screen
Brief Lunch Break // Wall piece: 15h x 14w x 8d, Floor Piece: 55h x 59w x 47.5d // Stoneware
Click to view Sculpture of eight pairs of human legs from the thighs down, two wearing trousers with the other six wearing skirts, displayed on a dark platform with a layer of red clay, in a gallery setting. Full-Screen
Shadow Clone Jutsu // 60h x 80w x 33d // Stoneware, Reclaim Clay, Wood
Click to view A seemingly broken or damaged sculpture hand is positioned on a white door frame, with green and black glaze drizzling down. Full-Screen
Please Close the Door // 57h x 16w x 16d // Stoneware, Drywall
Click to view Detailed sculpture of a woman wearing a black suit, seated on the side of a table, reaching out her left arm, depicting a moment of trying to reach the falling, red tableware. Full-Screen
Supper Moment // 50h x 59w x 24d // Stoneware, Wood, Metal
Click to view A seemingly broken or damaged sculpture hand is positioned on a white door frame, with green and black glaze drizzling down. Full-Screen
The Play (Rose.Mary) // 29h x 12w x 9d (light color), 32h x 22w x 6d (dark color) // Stoneware
Click to view A sculpture of a woman sitting on a drawer box, looking confused and pondering, showcasing poise in a captivating art form, embodying a sense of calmness and introspection. Full-Screen
The Play (the audience) // 45h x 25w x 22d // Stoneware
Click to view A wall-mounted sculpture of a woman holding a light fixture hanging next to a flat porcelain sculpture resembling a painting/poster and examining it, symbolizing enlightenment and illumination. Full-Screen
Marred Fate // 36h x 43w x 3d // Porcelain, Ceramics, Video
Click to view A sculpture of a woman with long dark hair standing before a wall of drawers. She holds a cigarette in her left hand while pushing back one of the drawers with her right hand. Glaze pours over her shoulder from another drawer. The woman is depicted wearing only a white bra. Full-Screen
Chapter V: Mazinger in Phantom // 50h x 55w x 25d // Stoneware
Click to view A provocative sculpture of a lifeless woman without limbs lying on a black table, with a glazed lollipop on her stomach, with another hand covering her face and attached by glaze, symbolizing the uncertainty and duality of life. Full-Screen
Rest in Lollipop // 24h x 36w x 30d // Stoneware
Click to view A sculpture of a woman in despair, with her head buried in her hands, expressing deep anguish and sorrow, in a moment of contemplation. Full-Screen
Jeux d'enfants // 65h x 18w x 25d // Stoneware