Mao (Kun) Chen & Chris Savage
Mao and Chris have been collaborating over the past year in their home studio in Calgary through the medium of ceramics. The artists met while completing their Masters of Fine Arts Degrees at the University of Calgary. Combining their different cultural backgrounds, Mao being born and raised in China and Chris having grown up on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nation known as Victoria BC, the artists seek to represent through the making of functional and sculptural objects, the shared aesthetic and philosophical viewpoints they have developed. Utilizing bright, blending glazes and free hand graphic drawings on hand-built and slip-cast stoneware, the collaborative process makes visible on the forms the points of overlap and harmony between the diverse backgrounds.