Christian Chang

Artist | Artisan
Based in Paris, FR

Christian Chang practices a craft-based art centered on ceramics, nourished by the imagination and the symbolic weight of ritual objects, which he reinterprets through a contemporary lens. His work unfolds within a slow temporality, resonating with the patient process of reclaiming traditional know-how and the rhythms of natural processes — geological formations, fossilization, oxidation, patina.
Clay becomes a medium for haptic and emotional exploration, where each piece bears the traces of gesture, erosion, layering, and transformation — silent evocations of time. Between composition, structure, and materiality, his work investigates the metamorphosis between the living and the non-living, between reality and imagination.
Fostering a certain ambiguity around the origin of the object, and playing with the codes of ancient artifacts with blurred timelines, he seeks a subtle balance between the imperfections brought by the passage of time and an idea of restored harmony — where the material appears to have traversed the ages while still belonging to the present.

Process
All of my objects are handcrafted in Paris, using, as much as possible, materials sourced locally. Each piece is shaped and fired in my workshop, following artisanal processes that require time and patience. The process, including modelling, firing, and glazing, takes 3 to 4 weeks. As a result, each creation is unique, the product of careful attention and constant care. Although the greatest rigour is taken at every stage, clay, as a living material, can reveal unforeseen imperfections.