“Emma Bickers and Sami Tsang represent a continuum of storytelling on clay objects. They use illustrations, motifs and figures to express personal narratives and insight into their thoughts and ideas. Bickers and Tsang record the drama of daily life (both exterior and interior), exploring memory, emotion and imagination. Their works are instruments of storytelling and bearers of meaning.” – Melanie Egan, Director of Craft & Design, Harbourfront Centre

Emma Bickers is a queer artist from Toronto, Ontario who combines her illustrations and ceramic vessels to share a sensitive narrative through visual storytelling. A 2023 graduate of the Craft and Design with a specialization in ceramics at Sheridan College, she is currently a full-time Artist-in-Residence at Harbourfront Centre.

“In the moment, a crush is life altering; affection, longing and yearning dominate the day to day. While later on, remembering a past crush brings bittersweet fondness and possibly some cringe.  These vessels are a love letter that ties the larger-than-life emotions perceived during a crush and the later nostalgia of recalling those earnest reactions.”

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Sami Tsang is a Toronto-based ceramic artist whose work explores domestic encounters and private narratives shaped by her Chinese and Western cultural experiences. After studying traditional Chinese painting for seven years in Hong Kong, she pursued a BA in Craft & Design from Sheridan College and an MFA in Ceramics from Alfred University. Sami has exhibited in the U.S., China and Canada, including at Claire Oliver Gallery, The Power Plant, the Gardiner Museum, Cooper Cole Gallery and AYE Gallery. Her work is in private collections, Collection Majudia, and the Gardiner Museum. Sami is an Artist-in-Residence at Harbourfront Centre.

“Raised in a conservative Chinese household, I use humour and sentimentality as tools to question and reconcile the feelings of displacement and duality that arise from straddling two cultures. Being genuine is central to who I am. My work is a direct, raw and spontaneous response to my experiences as a female Chinese Canadian artist. Mediated through various materials and deep self-reflection, my art captures how I feel at any moment. This process reflects the ongoing evolution of myself and my work—from initially feeling voiceless to now owning and expressing my narrative. There’s a sense of urgency driving my work, compelling me to ask: What is so pressing?”

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