Christian Chang

Artist | Artisan
Based in Paris, FR

Combining the exploration of matter and volume with the gestures of the ceramicist, I seek to take advantage of the polymorphic nature of clay. Through a haptic approach, I try to bring an emotional imprint to my creations, while seeking a balance in the trinity of composition, structure and materiality.
My work lies at the intersection of art and craft. The temporal dimension remains integral, echoing the slowness of natural processes and the assimilation of traditional skills. It is from a refined palette of colors and earthy tones that I build up part of my formal research between erosion and covering in order to highlight the raw, primitive and natural state of the material, freeing its intrinsic properties and stimulating its immutability to serve the metamorphosis from the living to the non-living, or the shift between reality and the imaginary. My practice, centred on the sculptural and functional object, seeks to question our relationship with it and the emotions it can provoke, to assert its presence and place texture and the treatment of the surface at the heart of my experiments. With this in mind, I collect natural objects and self-made tools in order to create those effects.
I draw inspiration from everyday life, from an initial contact, almost naive, with a constantly changing world that regulates our affects, while inviting us to reflect on the human-nature relationship. In short, it’s a collection of observations, which is then transcribed into a visual vocabulary, aimed at delivering an inky narrative about our times and probing the organic relationships we can have with our environment — and conversely.

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.