No. 030
Yang Yang
The Monolith
18x7x16cm / unique
Glazed stoneware
2025
US$3000
The artist uses a type of clay from Yixing, Jiangsu. In traditional life, this clay is commonly used to make water vats for storing daily water resources; though inexpensive, it is incredibly solid and durable, making it an indispensable material for functional containers. The clay contains natural impurities—essentially soil mixed with small stones—which accounts for its strength and makes it ideal for shaping sculptural forms. After being fired at over 1,000°C, the clay forms a dark base.
The surface is coated with Italian "Snowflake White" glaze, a warm, white crystalline substance. The artist seeks to combine these delicate, warm white crystals with the coarse, dark clay, allowing natural materials from different times and spaces to form a dialogue of contrast and unity. During the high-temperature firing, the white glaze flows across the horse's form; the high points of the sculpture reveal the scorched natural color of the dark clay, while the low points are occupied by the white crystalline glaze. This texture, defined by the interplay of refinement and coarseness, enhances the expressive power of the work.
Monolith employs condensed forms and fluid sculpting marks to create a boulder-like shape that is both solid and warm, evoking a sense of mystery and eternity. Utilizing clay and glazes from different times and spaces, the work seeks precision in the relationship between material, form, and expression. A foal, steady as a rock, extends its limbs in a powerful stance, presenting a sense of solidity and stability. Through high-temperature firing, the coarse clay and delicate glaze interact: the clay’s natural color emerges at the high points of the form, while the glaze fills the recesses. This unifies the inner and outer contours into a smooth, abstract flow that dissolves the limitations of physical form and imagery. The work is a description of both natural matter and human spiritual density—a monumental, rock-like spirit hidden beneath a gentle surface.
About the Artist
Yang Yang
（China，b.1988）
MFA in Sculpture, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Based in Shanghai. His sculptural practice explores the body as an object, reflecting on rhythm, harmony of form, the tactile warmth or coldness of material, and the spatial essence of sculpture. Working primarily with glazed ceramics and white porcelain—materials at once rigid and fragile—he creates shell-like vessels that embody a tender yet steadfast core. These works hold layered emotional dimensions: quiet, soft, and understated. Though without explicit narrative, they cast shadows of both self and others, opening a subtle and profound inner world within the framework of figurative sculpture. His works have been exhibited at Zhengzhou Sculpture Park and the China Sculpture Museum.