Ray Chen, Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 46x L 48 x W 42 in
Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 46 x L 48 x W 42 in 
Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 55 x L 42 x W 46 in 
Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 54 x L 41 x W 37 in 
Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 39 x L 43 x W 32 in
Mother and Child, 2018, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 33 x L 86 x W 48 in
Mother and Child, 2019, Porcelain, H 20 x L 42 x W 15 in 
Mother and Child, 2019, Earthenware, Porcelain, H 17 x L 36 x W 20 in 
Mother and Child, 2019, Porcelain, H 37 x L 71 x W 38 in 
Mother and Child, 2017, Stoneware, Earthenware, Porcelain, H 41 x L 73 x W 36 in 
Mother and Child, 2017, Stoneware, Porcelain, H 37 x L 59 x W 42 in 
Mother and Child, 2017, Stoneware, Porcelain, H 15 x L 44 x W 14 in 
Mother and Child, 2016, Porcelain, H 28 x L 47 x W 24 in 
Mother and Child, 2015, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 57 x L 107 x W 38 in 
Mother and Child, 2015, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 57 x L 107 x W 38 in 
Mother and Child, 2015, Stoneware, Earthenware, H 52 x L 68 x W 51 in 
Mother and Child – Compassionateness, 2017, Porcelain, H 24 x L 41 x W 21 in
Ray Chen: Mother and Child, 2015-2019
Henry Moore says “sculpture must have life in it. Creating a vitality and life within a form, gives it meaning and primitive power infused with humanist content”. Conceptually, “Mother and Child” moves from tradition to contemporary, from realistic emotional expression to abstract presentation, from East to West.
For the last several years, I have addressed in my work the central relationship between my mother and myself. Eastern culture and my family education have shaped my (early) life… to be humble, be polite, and be patient, preserve harmony but to be sensitive. I have been learning and growing to become who I am through experiencing the process of time and culture, and history and values. “Mother and Child is a connection between my mother and me over space and distance. It is a measurement in feelings through my own personal experience, presenting movement, energy, love, relation, honesty, and integrity. The energy radiates from the point where the pieces touch. Feelings toward my mother and her devastating illness mesh into one. Negative space and lines are drawn between internal and external emotions.
In my sculptures, the exploration of form, space and lines, have become an outer language to embody my inner feelings. The composition of gestural abstract forms is also affected strongly by the spaces between forms. The objective is to compose a portrait that is charged with rich emotional and spiritual vision.
The relationship between mother and child is universal. Clay and fire transcend the value of humility and express the texture of emotions. Mother and Child is a timeless statement of maternal love.
Photos by Francois Gagne
