Brendan Tang combines past and future through ceramic sculpting

Leslie Armstrong
Arts Editor

Brendan Tang, a sculptor based in Medicine Hat, Alberta, recently made a ceramic china vase with a pair of headphones protruding out of it. This was no mistake; it’s part of his latest ceramics series that pits technology against history.
Tang and fellow sculptor Justin Novak presented a lecture May 11 at York as part of the Louis Odette artist-in-residence program.
Tang discussed his latest ceramic series called Manga Ormolu. Each sculpture from this line is a blue and white china dish with different pieces of new technology sticking out from the object.
Tang explains his pieces are about “the progression of technology.”
“The technological elements are being birthed out of the blue and white form,” he says. “At one point, ceramics was a very cutting-edge technology, so much so that it was a desirable object that people were really interested in.”
As for the gadgets growing out of the sides of the china dishware, Tang draws a comparison to the development of technology: ideas continually replacing each other and branching off. “One thing gave birth to another,” he says.
Rather than lecturing on structural elements and technique in sculpture, Tang and Novak spoke about their childhoods and their educational backgrounds that were relevant in an academic setting.
“I’ll also be touching a little bit on some earlier works and some new works that I’m working on that are outside ceramics,” says Tang.
Although Tang is a guest at York until May 26, he has a permanent sculpture residency back at home in Medicine Hat.
“I’m working there as an artist-in-residency at Medalta,” he explains, the reason being that this residency focuses a great deal on ceramics. Ceramic studios are reportedly scarce in Canada.
“In Canada, [Ceramic Studies are] pretty rare thing. [There are] maybe two of them in Canada, which is kind of absurd. They’re everywhere down in the States. It’s kind of an interesting material in that regard. In Canada, it’s kind of a marginalized material.”
The L.L. Odette Centre for Sculpture, which organized the residency lectures, also donated the bronze statue that now stands outside of the Student Centre. The piece depicts two businessmen, clad in pea coats and bowler hats and carrying suitcases—a copy of a design by Toronto-based sculptor  William McElcheran called Encounter.

Tang plans to showcase his material in London, Ontario for a show in the fall.
“If it doesn’t make it to that show,” he says, “[my material] is going to be in St. Catharines at Brock University.”
The decision to bring in the two guests was a strategic one on behalf of the L.L. Odette Centre for Sculpture. Tang says the centre “wanted to bring in two ceramic artists because [the visual arts program at] York isn’t known for ceramics. The sculpture department is more bronze and woodwork. I think [the centre] wanted to give the students here an opportunity to see another media that plays a role three dimensionally.”
Brendan Tang believes that his residency at York has been helpful for fine arts
students.
“They’re still very new to the material,” he says. “It’s really exciting to engage with the students that know what they’re talking about but maybe need a little bit more work or practice on the material. That’s what we’re here to do.”