Hong Kong-based artist Johnson Tsang creates porcelain works of art with a twist—oftentimes, literally. He sculpts rubbery and realistic human faces that are distorted in mind-bending ways reminiscent of Surrealist paintings. Looking at each one feels like a view into Tsang's subconscious.
In some of the busts, hands emerge from the head to manipulate the face, such as scraping through the facial features or stretching the skin beyond the skull to reveal empty space within. Others depict faces that have been completely scrambled by a whirlpool or melted into a puddle with the ears, nose, and eyes all misplaced.
Tsang's variety of creative works demonstrates his love for experimentation. However, there are some common features that unite these ivory masks. For instance, he always depicts eyes closed, like the faces are asleep and what is happening to them is a part of a dream. Perhaps this emphasizes the internal aspect of these sculptures. Ultimately, the artist's sculptures are left open to interpretation, though it's hard not to extract a deeper, internal struggle or an emotional element within each piece.
