Hoi
Chang

“In my work, I utilize ceramics in juxtaposition to a variety of other materials such as hand-welded metal, paper mache, and glass block. I intend for these material dialogues, which are enlivened through color, texture, angularity, and roundness, to serve as unique emotional scenes.

My work Nuggang was based on a Korean word I invented to represent a sigh or an exhale; an unspoken mode of self-expression which arises out of frustration, turmoil or failure. I think of Nuggang as the internal imagery of my inner dialogue which can be expressed through clay.

The recklessness and spontaneity through which I meet the clay, is embraced and transformed as it offers me grounding, relaxation, and peace of mind. This is due to the materiality of the clay, which unbiasedly absorbs my input and experiences. In this way, one can think of the clay as receiving the Nuggang of the sculptor, who realizes it through the clay’s evolving form. Much like the calm before the storm, the clay becomes the embodiment of that quiet moment, which through form, therapeutically anticipates my inner torment.

The vibrant glazes, which ooze over the ceramic forms, then become gestures of mourning, which both conceal and emphasize the ceramic forms beneath. These contrasts of color, texture, and form reveal the foundations of our human experiences, where joy, aggression, love, loneliness, and trauma meet in intimate interactive relationships.”