Summer in New York has just gotten evermore enchanting as there is currently a spectacular exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem - the first-ever US solo show of Sami Tsang! Sami Tsang (Chinese-Canadian, b. 1997) is a rising figure in the Contemporary art scene, to which this exhibition serves as a marvelous introduction to the artist’s multidisciplinary practice in painting, site-specific installation, and ceramic sculpture. Having previously exhibited with Claire Oliver at EXPO Chicago, Our Family Portrait makes for an opportune moment to showcase the full breadth of Tsang’s fantastically whimsical and minutely detailed works in their full glory.
Stepping into Claire Oliver Gallery feels wondrously different from that of the standard art gallery, for there is an overwhelming sensation that you have just entered a magical world sprung from a richly illustrated storybook that can be appreciated by youth and adults alike. Freestanding ceramics of magical creatures are interspersed throughout the space ranging from small to large scale. Furthermore, a series of gigantic, roughly 12-foot high ink on MDF board paintings feature a similarly chimerical cast of anthropomorphic beings. Tsang unites the visual attributes of traditional Chinese art with a contemporary expressionism, be it the wispily calligraphic anatomy of her ink subjects or the inherent animism of her colorfully lifelike sculptures (these are quite reminiscent of mystical Bronze Age Chinese ceramics and earthenware).
As the exhibition’s title suggests, Our Family Portrait is a predominantly autobiographical narrative reflective of the artist’s upbringing and personal identity. Around the time I saw this exhibition, I encountered the famous Edward Hopper quote: “If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” The idea here that visual art can express deep truths in ways that are inconceivable through written expression is an apt characterization of Tsang’s art. She was born into a traditional Chinese household and was raised in both Canada and China. Traditional Chinese family life is defined by a long-held, generational system of social hierarchy, gender & class expectations, and respect for elders. Tsang’s works capture the struggles of being the youngest child within this conservative environment as there is a recurring display of covered mouths to denote the repression of independent desires on the basis of age and gender. At the same time, there are plenty of figures with their mouths open in raucously exuberant manners suggestive of a rebelliousness - a desire to shout or to blow raspberries as a way to combat the forced silence of Tsang’s youth.
