Congratulations to Emily Au for earning her place as a Winner in the Boynes Artist Award 9th Edition [Young Artist category]!

Who are you?

I was born in Toronto and moved to a smaller city near Niagara Falls when I was about 4 years old, where I still reside now. Growing up, I always had the natural ability and inclination to draw. From there, I began taking private art lessons, primarily in watercolor, which helped hone my technical skills. So when it came time to choose a program to major in, art felt like the only option for me as the creative fields were what I felt exclusively passionate about.

What inspired you to utilize sculpture as a medium?

Honestly, my love for creating 3D works came from boredom. Since I had spent my entire life working on paper or canvas, a few years ago I began to crave a challenge. I wanted to push myself and my work further since 2D works had become so second nature. My usage of sculpture is genuinely a result of my need for progression.

How would you describe your work?

Where I am now with my work, I would definitely use the word ‘bizarre’ to describe it. It’s a little surreal and nonsensical. But I think the nature of myself and my art is fluid depending on what I want to express. So although I am currently obsessed with raw meat and connecting it to clay, I’m certain one day there will be another subject that I will wish to tackle.

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind your winning work?

This piece blossomed from my discomfort when looking at raw meat. Ever since adapting a primarily plant-based diet, I dodge the meat section of the grocery store vigorously. The thought that my own human body and flesh would be indistinguishable from most meat causes me to wince. The rows of dismembered animal bodies suddenly become a sort of funhouse full of mirrors, reflecting the insides of my body. For the longest time I avoided these aisles, but I would still be able to catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye as I could not escape meat’s overbearing presence. So for this project I really wanted to be able to develop the skills to no longer deny or avoid my “negative” feelings. I was really determined to create a project where I would force myself to sit with my discomfort in an effort to accept the inevitable reality of adverse emotions.

Can you walk us through the technical steps of creating your winning work?

I usually start with a pretty hefty chunk of clay to roll out with the studio’s slab roller, which essentially flattens out the piece of clay evenly. Afterwards, I start cutting the slab of clay into strips of “meat” to use as the walls of the vessel and wait for them to stiffen. After cutting out a base, I begin to wrap the first strip of meat around it. Then it is just a matter of stacking and attaching the strips of clay on top of each other until I reach my desired height. Once I find myself happy with the shape, I allow the vessel to become bone dry before it goes through its first firing. After being bisque fired, I start painting underglaze on each strip of meat starting with the deepest tone of red or pink and work my way to lighter colors. After the red hues are painted on, I move on to the detailed fat marbling with a fine brush (the most time consuming part of my process). Once I am satisfied with the way it looks, I take it to the studio where I dunk each piece in a transparent glaze to be put in the kiln once again. After this glaze firing, the piece comes out with that glossy, glass-like look.

What do you hope to communicate to an audience with your work?

I hope that my audience is able to feel something when engaging with my projects. Each person’s unique experience when interacting with my work is deeply fascinating as it all accumulates to a greater conversation. I appreciate when the audience becomes a part of the discourse as it altogether adds value to the art. I’m happy to deliver a trigger for discussion and contemplation, however, I am not overly concerned with regulating what people think of my work.

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your work?

I think patience is a skill that I had, and still have to, exercise often throughout the process of creating my work. The nature of ceramics is very fickle, especially with porcelain, which is what I used for Bacon Vessel. I constantly need to ensure that the clay is at a consistent drying speed to prevent it from falling apart and cracking. It was difficult to sculpt a piece I was this excited about and I had to wrap it in plastic and put it on my shelf to dry for several days. I wanted to see the result as soon as possible but that’s not feasible when it comes to ceramics. I am still learning how to take my time with each piece to ensure the most desirable outcome, but this project really advocated for my development of this skill.

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

I think the biggest success since starting my artistic journey has been the creation of my thesis project. It’s incredibly special to me because I believe every project and every work of art I have created beforehand has led up to it. I strongly feel as though my five years of formal learning and twenty plus years on this earth consolidated into one project. The outcome of this was the most authentic project I have made. Exploring more vulnerable

parts of myself resulted in a body of work which I most identify with, being one of the first times I truly showed myself and what I am capable of.

Can you share with us the best piece of advice you have received so far?

Something that comes to mind is some indirect advice I heard from a podcast from a few years ago. The host of the podcast was speaking about possibilities when she said something along the lines of “dream big even when you have no business doing so.” As an artist, I think we are often undervaluing ourselves and our work, so I think this is great to keep in mind to never underestimate what’s possible. I think a lot of my work reflects this advice since I often bite off more than I can chew; my ideas are sometimes above my level of skill or experience. Despite this, it’s always worth it to try, merely for the sake of the possibility of it working out.

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?

Currently, I am working on a collaborative project with my partner, who is also an artist. The idea behind this new series is to show an exaggerated expression of our relationship, where we are inviting the audience to see what it’s like to be in our world. It’s been a fun venture to work side by side together and to articulate our romance in an excessive and camp way.

What is your dream project or piece you hope to accomplish?

There are so many different ideas I want to express. I spend a lot of time brainstorming and thinking of new projects I could potentially work on. A lot of these ideas I think are a bit too big for me right now but I dream of working at a ridiculously large scale. I am additionally particularly interested in creating hanging pieces to be suspended from the ceiling.

As a winner, do you have any advice for artists who want to submit to awards, competitions, residencies, etc.?

I think the most valuable advice I could offer to artists who want to share their work is to not be afraid of being “annoying”. I think a lot of young artists in particular are worried about coming off as too forward or bothersome, but a lot of the opportunities that I have are a direct result of me unsolicitedly showing my work to people. I would encourage everyone to not be too concerned with coming across as annoying. If you believe in your work, be persistent.

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists, what is your advice?

If making art is what you want to do long term, I think the most important thing is to continually and consistently keep creating work, even when you don’t feel like it. There are many times

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