BIO
Shang-Yi Hua was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan in 1967 to parents that had immigrated from mainland China. She grew up in Taipei, Taiwan and received her B.A. in International Business from (three-year university in Taiwan?). Afterwards, in 1989, Shang-Yi immigrated to Tempe, Arizona where she later received a B.A. in Finance from Arizona State University. She later moved to Houston in 1994 where she worked as a full-time mother for her two sons. Shang-Yi received a Certificate Achievement in Sculpture from the Museum of Fine ArtsHouston (MFAH) Glassell School of Art in 2016. In 2018, she completed the BLOCK Program at the Studio School in the Glassell School.
She makes her mark through stunning freestanding and wall-mounted sculptures drawing from nature and the environment, seamlessly linking material reality with the inner self. She explores merging and extension to demonstrate both contrast and harmony, and her work employs organic and artificial mediums, often in the same piece. Her mediums include precious metals and stones, driftwood, seedpods, concrete, steel and more. The concepts that guide her unique art-making process highlight her dual cultures, transcending the East/West binary, while also calling attention to universal, familial, and spiritual ideas. The pieces serve as individual stories and personal meditations on life’s treasures and ideals. Shang-Yi’s spiritual experiences and daily reflection inspire her work to new horizons. Beauty, mystery, the inner journey of the pilgrim all play a role in her meditation and her sculpture. She also references Chinese calligraphy and conceptualized images, exploring different perspectives of the same objects in three-dimensional space. Shang-Yi’s works have been exhibited in Houston, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland in the US, along with Taipei, Taiwan and Yokohama, Japan.