Artist Statement
If the distance between China and North America is 7723 km, then what is the distance between the previous me and the current me? If there are 12 hours between home and here, what time is it now? When a new life meets an old one, that moment draws me close. Tasting newness and oldness at the same time, I become the distance and difference; I am there, here, then, now.
In my recent work, I explore nature, identity, sense of place, and cultural displacement. Comparing and utilizing the elements and values from the East and the West, I trace my past, find my position. Living and moving among cultures, histories, languages, and assumptions always brings more – a question or an answer?
My work is comprised of multiple layers of ceramic materials and possibilities, suspended and fired on stilts, flowing down and pooling naturally in response to the topography and gravity. I hand-build my sculptures part by part and assemble them together to achieve an unknown structure and landscape. During this experimental and highly unpredictable process of making, firing, and installing, the position of my work has shifted and changed, becoming a new work of art. The scene of my work now looks ambiguous - it is neither the picture of my hometown nor the view of here. It is something extracted from a recollection of experience and imagination; it comes from a person who appreciates the past and embraces the possibilities of the future.
Bio
Born and raised in Guilin, China, Jing Huang is a ceramic artist currently living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received degrees from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute (BA, Ceramic Art, 2012), Sheridan College (Diploma, Ceramics, 2015) and Alfred University (MFA, Ceramic Art, 2020). Jing has lectured, curated exhibitions, conducted workshops and exhibited extensively throughout the US, Canada, China and the UK.