Eliza Au and Ying-Yueh Chuang Variations on Symmetry, Traveling Two-Person Exhibition, March 7 - April 13, 2013, Toronto.

Images: Eliza Au, Fragility of Belief (detail); Ying-Yueh Chuang, Cross Series #3 (detail).

Variations on Symmetry
Eliza Au 
Ying-Yueh Chuang

March 7 – April 13, 2013
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 7, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Ontario Crafts Council
990 Queen Street West, Toronto


Variations on Symmetry presents the work of Eliza Au and Ying-Yueh Chuang. Examining patterns and forms in relation to the spiritual and natural world, the exhibition showcases two bodies of work that offer an experience of intricate detail.

Variations on Symmetry is a touring exhibition, and has travelled to the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam, BC, April – May 2012; the Kootenay Gallery, BC, June – July 2012; Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre, Kingston, ON, August – September 2012; and will be heading to the Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS, April – May, 2013.


Au and Chuang skilfully negotiate the theme of symmetry in terms of man-made and natural forms, and present a series of hybrid works that reference elements of both western and eastern cultures. Through a series of large-scale wall mounted works and immersive sculptural installations, Au bases her explorations on Islamic and Gothic architectural patterns, while Chuang delves into the structural complexities of organic plants and sea creatures. Moreover, both artists push the boundaries of their backgrounds in ceramic practice by incorporating materials such as Plexiglas, metal, glass, wax and textiles in order to produce elaborate designs of pattern and proportion.

Overall, Au and Chuang present the opportunity to reflect on the language of symmetry as an aspect of experience that is constantly in flux. For instance, The Fragility of Belief, a work by Au that is cast in white and blue glass, resembles the geometric pattern typical of 13th century Gothic windows and tracery. Yet the piece further functions to question the contemporary meanings that this structure holds in its association with western history and religious power structures. At the same time, Chuang's work reveals the dynamic of asymmetry in nature, including the power of organic structures to adapt and mutate, which so often clashes with modern attempts to categorize, analyze and assimilate. The hybridity of each artist's work resists the easy interpretation of culturally specific symbols or practices, and instead, through the use of pattern, symmetry and repetition, highlight the ambiguity of definitions and beliefs that we so often take as straightforward.

Eliza Au received her BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (2005) and her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2009). Au's work is ceramic based and centers around the process of slipcasting. She is interested in how sacred space is transformed by the use of pattern and geometry in Gothic and Islamic architecture. She previously taught at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Ying-Yueh Chuang was born in Taiwan and came to Canada in the early 1990's. She received a diploma of Fine Arts from Langara College, Vancouver, a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, and a Masters degree in Ceramics from NSCAD University, Halifax. She has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally in both juried and invitational exhibitions and has been the recipient of many grants and awards. She was the 2006 recipient of the Winifred Shantz National Emerging Artist Award for Ceramists, Canada.