ROY presents: Tanya Anne Long
Without Everything
Tanya Anne Long is a ceramicist and sculptor based in Cleveland, OH. Her work is influenced by the fabricated components of the world around us, including utilitarian objects, furniture, domestic interiors, and architectural details. She seeks to parse how subtle shifts in these decorative elements can elicit a distinct sense of place and time. The resulting sculptures are slightly fantastical and seemingly out of place, as she reorients the material expectations of ceramics. The work aims to highlight how we can become knowingly complacent with our own personal theater — the streets we walk, the rooms we inhabit, and objects we handle everyday. This most recent series of work included in the exhibition, Without Everything, draws formal inspiration from the confluence of art nouveau and socialist modernism in the architectural landscape of Hungary, which she observed during her time living there. In light of the events of the past year, there is a focus on similar layered histories as they appear in private interiors. It questions how much of our visual environment has been physically shaped by those who have come before us, and how this affects our individual character as we attempt to leave our own mark on the spaces we call home.
Tanya Anne Long received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and her BFA from Pratt Institute. She has been the recipient of a U.S. Fulbright Grant for independent research in the area of visual arts and design in Hungary. Her work has taken her abroad numerous times, including participation in artist residencies at the European Ceramic Work Centre (EKWC) in the Netherlands, the Guldagergaard Ceramic Research Center in Denmark and the International Ceramic Studio in Hungary. She has held teaching positions at the University of Akron in Ohio and the University of Pécs in Hungary.
ROY asks
What is your name and preferred pronouns?
Tanya Anne Long, she/her
How has art (whether it be your own or art in general) changed you?
The act of making art, the opportunity to teach art, and the artist communities I am a part of have all contributed to a broader worldview, deeper understanding of other people, and my capacity for critical evaluation and self-reflection. Working with ceramics in particular is a continuously humbling experience. In the shared setting of a communal ceramics studio, the inevitable failures and the joy of successes are often openly shared. It provides the opportunity to overcome personal obstacles while recognizing and empathizing with challenges faced by others.
How did you start your artistic practice?
I was introduced to ceramics while pursuing an undergraduate degree in graphic design. I quickly fell in love with the tactile nature of the material and the challenge of working in three dimensions. My practice and life has continued to follow the clay path ever since.
When a first-time viewer sees your work, what is the first word that you hope they think of when looking at it?
There is not a single word that I would choose. When viewers see my work for the first time I hope they feel something between familiar comfort and uncertainty, something easy to accept but difficult to live with.
What is the best thing about the Columbus art scene right now?
As a native New Yorker who has been residing in Cleveland, OH for the last two years, I am not familiar with the current Columbus art scene. I know that ROY G BIV is a great venue for emerging artists and I look forward to discovering more about the artist community in Columbus through my participation with the gallery.