Renqian Yang earned her BFA in Ceramics from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing in 2009 and her MFA in Ceramics from Syracuse University in 2014. Currently, she lives and works in Oswego, New York as an artist and Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Oswego. Her recent exhibitions include: International KOGEI Award in Toyama 2020 Exhibition, Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Toyama, Japan (2021); As part of the NCECA conference, Rivers Connect: Unstoppable Forces in Contemporary Ceramics, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery (2021); Renqian Yang, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn, New York (2019); Renqian Yang: Construct Deconstruction, Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue Art Gallery, Jingdezhen, China (2018).
In 2017 she had her first solo exhibition in New York at Fou Gallery. She served as a residency artist at Craigardan (2018), Jingdezhen International Studio (2018), and the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (2017). Recently, her work received an Honorable Mention at the Riverfront: 2020 exhibition at the Delaware Contemporary, US.
Visit Renqian Yang’s website and Instagram page.
Featured work
Sounds of The Ephemeral, 2021
I am interested in the concept of binaries. My work addresses the unity and the contradiction of dichotomies: restriction and freedom; pessimism and optimism; complexity and simplicity; representation and abstraction; the human society and the natural world. At the same time, my work explores how an individual is related to nature, society, and oneself. My artwork reflects my experiences of migration and survival, while also exploring the conflict between the individual and society.
The physical and social tensions that individuals experience during periods of transition highlight human vulnerability, desire, desperation and lack of belonging. Anxiety shapes my clay. I create pieces that symbolize everyday emotions. In my art practice, I combine both traditional and nontraditional methods. While primarily focusing on ceramic sculpture, my work also extends to installation, mix medium, drawing, painting and functional everyday objects.
