Brendan Lee Satish Tang
Brendan Lee Satish Tang (B: 1975, Dublin Ireland; lives/works: Unceded territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations) is a visual artist who is widely known for his sculptural ceramic work. He received an MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and he is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, both nationally and internationally.
Tang’s work explores issues of identity and the hybridization of our material and non-material culture while simultaneously expressing a love of both futuristic technologies and ancient traditions Although he is primarily known for his ceramic work, Tang continues to produce and exhibit work in a wide variety of mixed and multiple mediums.
A recipient of the 2016 Biennale Internationale de Vallauris Contemporary Ceramic Award, France, shortlisted for the Sobey Art Prize , and a finalist in the Loewe Foundation’s International Craft Prize, Madrid, Spain . Tang’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC, the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, ON, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC, the Musee National Des Beaux-Arts du Quebec, Quebec City, QC, the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy, the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, QC, the Boston Art Museum, Boston, MA , the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, the Foundation d’Entreprise Bernardaud, Limoges, France, among many others.
Tang’s professional practice has taken him across North America and to India, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, China and Japan.
My artistic practice embodies the influences, tensions and contradictions that define the postmodern world. At once, my works exhibit the paradoxical tendency to be irreverent, frivolous, and playful, as well as thoroughly engaged in critical reflection. Admittedly, my aesthetic is driven by a hedonistic engagement with visual culture, yet I remain apprehensive about the all-encompassing diversions of contemporary society. Although my works are non-functional, I often employ vessel forms, or otherwise allude to incongruous functionality (for example, “wiring” of non-electronic parts). These apparent tensions may be particularly salient to my chosen field of ceramics, a medium interested in the notion of art versus craft.
Earthen Delights
Brendan Lee Satish Tang
