Cheng Ou Yu
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Originally from China, ChengOu Yu received his BA in Ceramic Design from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute (China) in 2012 and an Advanced Diploma with honors in Crafts and Design- ceramics from Sheridan College (Canada) in 2015. In 2020, he graduated from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University with an MFA in Ceramic Art. He currently holds the position of an assistant professor of ceramics at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Yu’s transnational experience impacts his role as an artist and educator. His work and research focus on iconography, cultural contrast and conflict, systems and logic, and the concept of space. Yu has exhibited widely in the United States, Canada, and Asia, with works in public collections including the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum (Alfred, NY, USA), Art Gallery of Burlington (Burlington, ON, Canada), Liling Ceramic Valley Museum (Liling, Hunan, China), Belger Art Center (Kansas City, MO, USA), and Jingdezhen Ceramic University (Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China).
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work and research draw inspiration from traditional Chinese pottery forms, architecture, architectural theories, design principles, and the integration of technology.
Traditional pottery forms have a profound influence on my studio practice. The timeless silhouette of Chinese pottery reflects my first encounter with clay in the porcelain capital of Jingdezhen, shaping my understanding of Chinese traditions and the historical depth of ceramics. The pot, as an icon, embodies the history it carries, the meaning it contains, and the concept it potentially delivers.
Beginning with the vessel as a central concept, I explore the spatial qualities and the internal or negative space (void) it symbolizes. This idea gradually extends to other iconic objects and symbols, unfolding and generating new meanings. For instance, the human head as a vessel for thoughts and the mind, the architecture as a vessel for dwelling and living. Through these explorations, I examined the symbolic qualities of objects in a philosophical sense. I use visual and sculptural means to explore the cultural connotations and narratives attributed to objects when stripped of their functional properties.
Through specific compositional, formal, and conceptual concerns, I construct works that delve into craftsmanship and materiality during the analytical process. By integrating various digital processes, including CAD modeling, scanning, 3D printing, and laser cutting, I scrutinize the systems and logic inherent in digital spaces and tools.
The investigation into notions of space, perspective, and distortion through my sculptural work allows my imagination to flow while my hand engages with the material, I build structurally and metaphorically, negotiating with a material that stretches, moves, and distorts in all possible ways. Living and traveling across different countries and cultures, my process is a form of self-reflection on my life experience and an interpretation of how cultures collide and merge in a constant state of evolution. This dynamic process distorts, blurs, and transforms, speaking to a liquid state of being—one that is unfixed, ever-moving, and shaped by its surroundings.
