|
Director :
Biography |
Resume |
Art works |
Publications
Ceramic Artists' Paradise -- Jingdezhen
Guangzhen Zhou is a ceramic artist, writer, curator, and a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, a Guest Professor of the Fudan University-Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, the founder of Chinese Ceramic Art Council USA, and a reporter for Ceramic Art Magazine (Taiwan).
Mr. Zhou was born in Shanghai, China in 1953. He went to the U.S. in 1989, received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and his Master of Fine Arts degree from San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Mr. Zhou has had over sixty articles published in Chinese art magazines and the U.S. magazine, 'Ceramics Monthly'. Also, he has published books : American Ceramic Artists Today and Chinese Ceramic Cultural Sites-A Traveler's Handbook.
We are facing many controversial issues lately with many predicaments and choices such as reservation and reform, conservativeness and progress, inheritance and development. These are the heavy responsibilities of our generation. There have been many paradises for artists all over the world such as Paris in France, SOHO in New York, the 798 Art Zone in Beijing, M 50 in Shanghai and so on. However, as far as contemporary ceramic art, the world's ceramic art creation center should be Jingdezhen.
Jingdezhen gains its name as the 'porcelain capital' for its long 1,000 year history of porcelain making. Today, in the eyes of ceramic artists all over the world, Jingdezhen with its Chinese traditional ceramic crafts, materials, and a variety of professional talents and resources, is undoubtedly a ceramic paradise, As a Chinese- American ceramic artist, I feel that it is the most important period in history, with Jingdezhen having the most optimum distribution of various productive factors nowadays.
Historically, Jingdezhen porcelain wares were sent to the Imperial Palace, displayed on the shelves and desks, worshiped by officers and businessmen, literates and artists, or exported all around the world. But in the past, the relationship between Jingdezhen porcelain and their owners had been artworks and appreciators. Today, in the digital era with distinct personalities, people are no longer satisfied as the "audience" - they like to be involved, become part of the ceramic art creation process instead. Taking hands-on clay classes and making artworks by themselves has become the dream of many people, both professional artists and amateurs. Ceramic art education programs and clay studios have been launched in many cities of China, and for sure, Jingdezhen will play a historically important role in the ceramic art field!
The Resources for Ceramic Artists
High-quality porcelain clay, glaze, and many kinds of ceramic materials, equipment, and tools, and clay throwing, carving, mold making, glazing, underglaze painting and even greenware transportation and firing - the plentiful resources of ceramic production material resources and skilled craftsmen in Jingdezhen has no comparison anywhere else in the world.
The Sculpture Porcelain Factory in the east suburb of Jingdezhen, for example, where many national masters of arts and crafts such as Liu Yuanchang gathered, as well as the Pottery-workshop that opened in recent years. With the advantage of visiting foreign artists that come constantly, the Pottery Workshop has started to give slide lectures on Friday nights and a Letian Pottery Market on Saturday mornings, which enable youth to sell small pieces of ceramic artworks that they have produced such as tableware and jewelry. This has brought about a western concept of ceramic artistic styles and business model to Jingdezhen, and also attracted many young people who desire the popularity. Recently, Ice Blue, the first group of contemporary ceramic artists in China, which is composed of nine young ceramic artists, was established in the Sculpture Porcelain Factory.
Today, the Sculpture Porcelain Factory has become a ceramic art creation park like SOHO of New York and Beijing 798 Art Zone. Hundreds of ceramic workshops and pottery studios are hidden inside of the ordinary and old buildings along both sides of an 800 meter-long narrow street from East Xinchang Road to Chao Yang Road. In addition, there are many supporting ceramic industries services for the artists, such as mold making studios, painting artists and several kiln factories of low and high temperatures which can help guests fire their ceramic pieces. The handcarts carrying the ceramic works back and forth between artist studios and kiln factories are a unique scene of the Sculpture Porcelain Factory.
Domestic and foreign artists can take their sketchbooks, concepts or ideas, then go to stay in Jingdezhen for a month or two, then take their finished artworks home. Especially in spring and autumn, tourists and artists from all over the world can be seen everywhere in Jingdezhen. I have encountered an Australian lady who took a fresh fish to have the local mold making studio make a mold from it, then pour the porcelain slip into the mold, making a realistic fish, and added her own designs to create a wonderful artwork. I have also met many art instructors and students from many schools in the country, such as Beijing and Shanghai, to learn traditional ceramics and to use the studios and material here. They referred to Jingdezhen as the base for their clay art studio experience. The name of the Sculpture Porcelain Factory is far beyond an ordinary tourist attraction in the eyes of many clay artists at home and abroad.
Ceramic Institutions and Academic Atmosphere
One or two institutions of high education leading in a professional field can give technical support to the local industry and bring about an academic atmosphere and provide human resources. The young generation, along with expertise with an active mind, will be able to provide the vitality and competitive advantage of a certain industry. It is an important influence for American Stanford University, California University Berkley and San Jose State University for the development of Silicon Valley as a high-tech center of the world. The Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, the largest ceramics school in the world, has made incomparable contributions to Jingdezhen ceramics and even the Chinese national ceramics industry. Compared with other ceramic production areas, the existence of this higher education institution is the largest resource and advantage of Jingdezhen. Graduates from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute reside all over the world. Every time we hold some exchange activities in the United States, we can meet one or two Chinese who came over and told us he is "a graduate of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute".
The Comparison of China's Ceramic Art Sources and that of Foreign Countries
The ceramic art, or clay art, is an art form associated with both crafts and fine arts. Chinese traditional ceramic art is mainly based on vessel forms for daily use or crafts and ornaments. All of it belongs to the crafts category and, there is a huge ceramic crafts market both at home and abroad. Since the 1950's, ceramic art, developed in the western countries such as the U.S., went under two different categories of crafts and fine arts. The functional pottery artists make dinnerware, coffee mugs and other items for everyday use; while fine art instructors and students are making sculptures for exhibitions. Pottery teaching that combines with fine art creation concepts and ceramic craft is recognized as the mainstream of Ceramic Art.
It is amazing that the countless ceramic materials and building and firing techniques are so much like the boundless ocean. There are so many varieties of material preparation and firing technique involved. During the past thousand years and, due to undeveloped ceramic science and advanced technology, there were many kinds of unpredictable results as well as a considerable degree of contingency and mystery in the process of ceramics making. The difficulty and complexity of ceramic production and techniques kept them far away from being understood by those inexperienced in this field. From the selection and preparation of ceramic materials, building techniques, glaze preparation and ceramic firing, the contingency and profound experience were hyped up far beyond fact. People could be kept away as the audience when they were in front of such exquisite ceramic works.
The development of the camera is a good example. Before the digital camera was invented, those using manually controlled cameras must adjust aperture, speed and focus according to the objects, and scrolling film forward after every picture has taken. The developed film always turned out to be an obscure night scene or an indistinct snow white scene ¨C it was a wild goose chase. These problems scared away many amateurs. Since the birth of foolproof cameras, especially digital cameras, picture taking has become much simpler. It's possible for everyone, every age-range, from retired seniors to preschool children to take clear and vivid photos.
Human beings unveil the mystery of ceramic art with advanced science and technology. The material condition brought by the development of science and technology is an important factor to develop today's ceramic education and popularizes education. For example, there are thousands of ceramic materials and equipment companies spread across the U.S., offering countless types of ceramic materials, glaze, ceramic equipment, kilns and tools. It's very convenient for the artists to buy many kinds of clay, glaze and other items just like ordinary art supply stores. Standardization and serialization of materials and equipments are important driving forces for the popularization of ceramics education.
In China, ceramic productions are usually based on the areas where the raw materials exist, and the certain traditions, skills and techniques have been passed down from generation to generation in the area around the "kilns" - such as the Longquan Kiln, Yixing Kiln, Jingdezhen Kiln, and so on. But there is almost no historical ceramic tradition in the U.S., and there are many differently prepared types of clay on the market based on different colors, firing temperature, and the needs of the artists. There are many kinds of prepared and moisturized clay in the plastic bags of 25 pounds available on the market. Bagged and moisturized clay is very convenient for ceramic art education in schools. Unlike in Jingdezhen, American ceramic artists mainly use plastic stoneware clay for both sculptures and wheels thrown pieces which will be easer to control. Generally speaking, the wheel thrown pieces can be shaped at one time, plus the bottom will need trimming only when the clay body becomes hard- leather. But in Jingdezhen, it is necessary for whole piece to be trimmed from the top to the bottom for most of the time after the porcelain clay pieces are shaped from the wheel thrown and when it becomes bone dry. Most of the sculptures were made into hollowed pieces and slip casting techniques are rarely involved unless for mass-produced commercial pieces.
Besides, there are also various bagged, powdery, raw materials supplied in the market for professional artists to prepare clay by them. Electronic technology has been widely used in glaze preparation, such as glaze formulation software and kiln firing schedule temperature control. Once the firing temperature reaches a certain degree in the electric kiln, the power will shut off automatically.
Today, in many developed countries or regions, ceramic art has developed into art and craft education and has become one of the most popular art media- like painting and drawing. The contemporary ceramic art is an art that crosses the fields of crafts and fine art. Ceramic art popularization and education is an artistic subject that enjoys general popularity by adults and children, professionals and amateurs.
Opportunities and Challenges of Jingdezhen
Where are opportunities? Where are challenges? Human society has experienced the Neolithic Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Industrial Age and finally entered into the Digital Age. The technologies of transportation and communications have changed our lifestyles so quickly during the past few decades. However, Jingdezhen ceramic market are still dominated by ceramic pieces with traditional decorations of landscapes, flowers and birds, figures etc., which have been passed down for over hundreds of years. Copying is prevailing. These decorations, themes and subjects often have nothing to do with our daily life nowadays. This phenomenon is just like a man that wears his grandparents' clothes and shows them off on the street. Why are so many artists being blind toward the tremendous changes in China over the past two decades and do nothing about the art styles?
Traditional heritage can also become burdens. The qualities of Jingdezhen ceramic workshops vary from very high to pretty low. Most craftsmen are conservative and acquainted with only the ideas that revel in imitating the craft summit of the "Imperial Kiln" of the Late Qing Dynasty without any exploring different materials, techniques, subjects; also, there is no pioneering spirit and innovation spirit in business management, marketing, innovation, and advancing design, etc.
With the change of lifestyle and economic development, Chinese ceramic art popularization and education have been developing rapidly over the past 10 years. But for a country that is proud of its rich ceramic culture, national-wide ceramic supply stores are lacking. Ceramic materials, glaze, equipments and tools can only be purchased in Jingdezhen or other ceramic production areas. It is hard for the public schools or private studios across the country to get their supplies. It is sad for the ceramic educators, students and other clay artists that are not close to these ceramic production areas. In the development of ceramic art education and standardization of materials and ceramic art supplies along a national-wide network. China is very backward compared to other developed countries. There are opportunities, but also lots of challenges.
Right now, I believe Jingdezhen needs enterprisers with forward-looking vision to broaden their horizons, merging and recombining the enterprise structure of Jingdezhen by applying competitive mechanisms to build up some standardized ceramic productions with world-class brands, national chain ceramic supply stores and pottery classrooms with entertaining and educational function country-wide. People from business and art fields who are passionate to develop and invest in ceramic art in Jingdezhen and even the in the whole of China; please capture this unique opportunity which may not ever come again.
The Original was published on the Ceramic Vision Magazine, 2009,8.
|
