Bianca Yang
Abbotsleigh
BROKEN – NO SUCH THING AS A STILL LIFE
Painting
Acrylic paint on wood and ceramics
In my body of work, my intent was to explore my bittersweet childhood and identity, in particular my relationship with my family and home country. The porcelain represents my heritage and connection with Shanghai, which I consider ‘home’. The distorted shapes of the ceramics simultaneously represent my struggle growing up in a one-parent household and my disconnection from my father and his birthplace, Taiwan. The ceramic plates integrate the Japanese repair technique of kintsugi, representing the development of my own character. All of these influences have been extremely significant in my life, and have contributed to who I am today.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Livia Marin, Pam Tippett.
Marker's Commentary
This body of work; Broken – No Such Thing as a Still Life, reflects personal and cultural issues of the candidate’s cross-cultural identity. The use of traditional blue and white porcelain technique in the traditional willow pattern is confidently executed and reflects and underscores the close affinity with the Chinese heritage. The melting forms warp the traditional iconography, reflecting the experienced journey from culture to culture. Three dimensional objects are positioned in conjunction with the painted forms, each of which are unified through their wooden display. Additionally, the Kintsugi plate metaphor is highly representative of her broken family, the shattered Japanese repaired technique.