Johnson Tsang

Born in 1960, Hong Kong, Tsang continues to work in his birthplace. Growing up he enjoyed drawing, but did not view it as a viable career path. Instead, a young Tsang joined the local police force where he would stay for 13 years. In 1991, at the ripe age of 31, Johnson took his first pottery class and he was hooked. It re-ignited a creative spirit in him, and a mere 2 years later he would quit his job to become an artist full time.

Johnson brought his work ethic from the force to the studio and devoted 60+ hours to his craft each week. Soon after leaving his job, he began to challenge preconceptions of what can be done with clay, pushing the boundaries of his viewer’s imagination. His surrealist sculptures bend the mind - quite literally in some cases - as he masterfully marries the hyperreal with the fantastical.

Perhaps owing to his time as a policeman and his exposure to the extreme dualities of humanity, each of his works seek to capture the rhythm of both somatic and human emotion, by packing intense moments of pain and love into his subject’s expression and environment. His work serves as a testament to the inner-conflict of the human psyche.

Johnson Tsang remembering his first encounter with clay: “The clay seemed so friendly to me, it listened to every single word in my mind and did exactly what I was expecting. Every touch was so soothing. I felt like I was touching human skin. I found peace and joy in it. I’ve felt in love with it ever since.”