Manga Ormolu #7

In Brendan Lee Satish Tang’s series “Manga Ormolu,” the blend of cultures is prompted by his mixed identity as an Asian Canadian. He creates hybrid vessels imagined through an amalgam of iconographies, merging robotic accessories inspired by Japanese anime and manga with motifs from Chinese blue and white porcelain. Tang’s interpretation of Ming dynasty objects is distinctive; he taps into popular culture and uses historical references. He incorporates gilt bronze and the decorative mountings added to Chinese and European luxury porcelains in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By creating an accessible dialogue between easily identifiable contemporary imagery and the past, Tang highlights current issues around perceptions of identity and the mingling of cultures. The work is also a commentary on globalization: Chinese blue and white porcelain has been traded all over the world for centuries.