Studio Gallery is honoured to present Repeat, Expect, an exhibition of new sculptures by artist Ou Ming. Opening on 6 Nov, it will be the gallery's fourth solo exhibition of works by Ou,revealing his contemplative observation of sculpture and life.
In Ou's recent practice, he has been consistently making attempts to create a dynamic organism-like entity. With plaster, water (colour), ceramics, as well as the passage of time, he managed to build up an independent circulative system in his sculptural works. Instead of creating a single 'life being' as in his previous series, the new work is structured differently by several independent entities as a group. Each sculptural piece is composed of two or three ceramic vases of varying sizes that look like a vibrant family, and a closer look shows that these vases are not separate; instead they are interconnected as a cohesive whole. That intention originated from Ou's new role as a father, since then he began to feel a strong connection between the life of himself with another in the world. He realised that living beings are not completely independent but a continuous existence.
The title of the exhibition Repeat, Expect hints at Ou's current working state. For over a decade, plaster had been the only medium appeared in his work. Ceramics was introduced in his last series Aesch, the production process of which is even more complicated compared to plaster. From a mass of clay, through throwing, trimming, glazing, until kilning, all the processes accumulate a lengthy creating period. Furthermore, with great uncertainty in the process, Ou has to repeat again and again to bring the final piece closer to what he expected for. Thus, Repeating and Expecting made up his daily routines. And the process of Expecting leaves plenty of blank space during the work, allowing him to understand better his motivations and desires. To reach the ideal destination, the only way is through the path of expecting.
The trace of the artist seems invisible in Ou's new series, on the contrary, the plaster part is rendered smoothly without evidence of the artist's hand. Shifting from hand-shaping to carefully throwing on the wheel, Ou adopted a new approach to the plaster inspired by his in-depth experience with ceramics over the past two years. This technique is similar to his previous work with plaster: shaped with the help of gravity based on the axis. However, Ou's attitude to the material remains the same: 'I follow it as much as possible. Because I found that there is no 'I', or I can't present it based on my will. It's not under my control and the final presentation is God's business'.
Recent work and life experience inspired Ou to reflect on the inherent concept of sculpture creating. He also started to wonder if a purely unique individual exists. Perhaps there is no difference at all between the so-called self and another individual, or even another object, since commonality is shared beyond our self-consciousness and knowledge. Therefore, when 'I' is erased from the works, what will be left?
Press release courtesy Studio Gallery.
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