Strathnairn Arts Anita McIntyre
Ceramics Residency & Exhibition Award 2021

Shen-Ju Hsieh

Shen-Ju Hsieh is a Canberra based emerging ceramics artist from Taiwan who combines functional everyday things and sculpture in ceramics. Hsieh completed a Bachelor of Fine Art in craft and design, majoring in ceramics at the National Taiwan University of Art in 2017. She currently graduated from her Master of Contemporary Practices in Art and Design in ceramics at the Australian National University. Her artworks are centered on exploring wheel throwing and hand extruding techniques in ceramics and expressing emotions by reserving the feature of the material. She creates anthropomorphic vessels and linear squeezing clay bases as a metaphor for the relationship between humans and the environment.

Artist Statement:

‘My work is centered on making anthropomorphic vessels and grouping them into a social microcosm. The vessel represents humans, while numbers of vessels form a society. I explore hand squeezing techniques in ceramics and use these abstractive clay lines to create a corresponding environment for wheel-thrown vessels.

The circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years have forced us to make significant life changes; for example, socially distancing, staying at home, and following travel restrictions. The changes to our social formations have also influenced
our emotional and mental health. By portraying everyday objects as human beings I am able to present the different social formations during COVID-19 pandemic, while similarly expressing the varying emotions experienced by people through diverse making techniques.’