Ting-Ju Shao

Artist Statement

Being a participant in this universe, I have been asking the following questions ever since my younger days: "Why was I born?" and "Why am I here?" For the very reason that I am so strongly interested in our species, my work in ceramics has always used the sculpting of human figures to reflect existential concepts and questions.

To explore the suffering and imprisonment of souls and bodies, and to help free minds, I use different combinations of clay figures; figures that demonstrate the tension, hostility and dependence of people with their society, and the destructive or harmonious relationship between people and nature.

-- Ting-Ju Shao

Bio

Ting-Ju Shao was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1963. She has immersed herself in creative ceramic art for 32 years. Since 1998, she has written articles for Ceramic Art, Taiwan Craft, and New Ceramics with over 100 articles published. Shao is the curator of the 2018 Taiwan International Ceramic Biennale and served on juries for the 2016 Taiwan International Ceramic Biennale, Naspa Talent Award 2016-Focus Vessel International ceramic competition at Westerwald Ceramics Museum in Germany, and the Cluj Ceramic Biennale in 2013 and 2015.

She is the committee consultant for Taiwan Ceramic Biennale (2004, 2010, 2012, 2016), as well as the board committee for ceramic art collection (2014-2018) all of them which took place in New Taipei City, Yingge Ceramics Museum.