Art
Monday, 14 June 2010 09:06
Written by Emma Chi

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The ceramics master molds another masterpiece

No art form more epitomizes China than ceramic art. And when it comes to ceramic art in China, there is no bigger name than Jackson Li (李见深).

Twocities Gallery is currently presenting Li’s latest ceramic creations as part of a dual exhibition with inkbrush artist Chen Jiu. Li has chosen horses as his latest subject – a choice inspired by the animal’s importance in China from ancient times. Li’s Tang Dynasty horses and Chen’s paintings speak of the development of Chinese culture in clay and ink, and through contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional art forms the two artists can express their thoughts in rapidly changing times.

“In modern society, the process of industrialization and fast living has made us move way from culture, so I’m looking for a cultural carrier to tell the loss of our spiritual culture,” Li told Urbanatomy. “Ceramics allow me to do that. Our pottery art holds 5,000 ears of cultural spirits.”

They do indeed. The pinnacles of Chinese ceramic art were he Sui, Tang and Song dynasties. Potters created innovative techniques that were copied the world over. However, modern ceramics giants such as Meissen and Rosenthal have eschewed the traditional techniques employed by artists such as Li who crafts everything by hand and whose work displays a variety of styles from neo-imperial porcelains (guan yao) to new folk ceramics (min yao).

“It’s the same logic as cooking,” says Li. A good chef uses the same ingredients, but creates new dishes. So do potters when we make use of the resources and techniques of our predecessors to create new styles. You can’t change the materials, but the results can change.”

// Time Doth Swiftly Fly: Dialogue of Clay and Sumi-e
Chen Jiu and Jackson Li’s Duo Exhibition. Until July 7, twocities, 2/F, Bldg 0, 50 Moganshan Lu 莫干山路50号零号楼2楼

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