Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 123 i Ceramics: Art and Perception

The Journey of Ceramics, the 2023 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale (CJICB) continues to carry forward the spiritual power generated by the interaction between the hand, clay, and fire. With this second hosting of the world-class ceramics biennale, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, along with Jingdezhen City, aimed to continue the spirit and history of ceramics, integrating concepts and enabling artists around the world to establish more extensive and harmonious connections. The long-awaited 2023 Journey of Ceramics in the post-pandemic era, the grand launch of the CJICB took place at the Jingdezhen Ceramic University’s Art Museum. On December 15, 2023, hundreds of consular officials from more than 30 countries around the world, as well as representatives of global ceramic artists, educators, industry associations, and the media, gathered to witness this artistic event.…

Vinod Daroz was born in 1972 in Andhra Pradesh, southern India. Raised in a family dedicated to traditional jewellery making, he was exposed to meticulous craftsmanship and an eye for detail from a young age. His uncle, P. R. Daroz, is a prominent ceramist and his mentor, Mrs. Jyotsna Bhatt, played a pivotal role in guiding Daroz towards working with clay. He pursued his BFA and MFA in Ceramic Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts at M. S. University in Baroda, Gujarat and his academic journey was marked by notable achievements and scholarships, including the National Scholarship for Young Artists from the Government of India in 1997. Further training with master potters Ray Meeker and Deborah Smith at the renowned Golden Bridge Pottery, Pondicherry, and British potters Peter Illsley…

You only need to be one less than shite to stay in the competition,” says Keith Brymer Jones. The Great Pottery Throwdown judge and potter extraordinaire has challenged us to throw as many sake cups as we can, off the hump. I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I realise the pressure is off. This puts a whole new perspective on life and its challenges – it’s all about survival. Keith walks around from contestant to contestant, judging our sake cups and counting how many we’ve made. “You are all brilliant, you really are! But that is rubbish.” Plop, he flings another sake cup into the bucket of doom. I can see it’s going to be an interesting week. It’s a bright, sunny Tuesday morning at Clay Gulgong, a…

Poke in the Eye: West Coast Counterculture was an important survey of late 20th century West Coast ceramics masquerading as an investigation of painting and other media in California, Oregon and Washington State during the same period. Funk art, coined by critic and curator Peter Selz in a 1967 exhibit at University Art Museum, Berkeley, covered paintings and sculptures by William T. Wiley, Roy De Forest, and others, but more pertinently for our purposes, ceramic sculptors Robert Arneson, David Gilhooly, and Viola Frey. In 1972, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hosted the ceramics collection of Seattle collectors R. Joseph and Elaine Monsen, tightening the focus of Funk even more by encompassing the Seattle group that included Howard Kottler, Patti Warashina, and Fred Bauer. Fifty years later, Poke in the…

Q: With Gerstley Borate becoming no longer available what substitute can I use in my glazes? The Gerstley Borate mine was located near the town of Shoshone, California, population 52, near the Nevada state line, approximately 50 miles east of Death Valley. The mine is closed due to the increased cost of upgrading the safety equipment and growing environmental restrictions. The ore is still in the ground but, like many discontinued materials, economics dictated its end. Gerstley Borate in its many chemical versions over the years has been used regularly in low-fire to mid-fire glaze formulas (Cone 06 1828°F - 998°C to Cone 6 2232°F - 1222°C) since the 1950’s. It is a combination of minerals having a long and troublesome history as a glaze material. In part this is…

Albert Yonathan Setyawan is an Indonesian artist renowned for his installation of regular and symmetrical patterns, which consist of hundreds to thousands of small ceramic objects he has made using the slip casting method. Objects were neatly arranged on the museum’s walls and floors into patterns including mandalas, labyrinths, mazes, and other geometric shapes, creating a contemplative atmosphere. Setyawan completed his ceramic studies in Bandung, Indonesia, and then continued his PhD in Kyoto, Japan. For almost fifteen years, Setyawan, who currently lives in Japan, has been involved in various major exhibitions, including the Indonesian Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013); SUNSHOWER: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now, at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (2017); and Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia (2019).…

Hybrid #1: Shiyuan Xu My work draws inspiration from the study of microscopic phenomena, spanning from single-celled organisms in the ocean to diverse terrestrial plant seeds, as well as cells - the fundamental units of life. My fascination with the shapes, patterns, structures and textures of these microorganisms stimulates my creation. I reinterpret these visual elements into sculptural forms revealing the intricacy and fragility of the hidden world. My recent pieces delve into these complex structures of microorganisms, perceiving them as imprints of growth and responses to internal and external forces throughout their evolution. Adjusting to the surrounding environment generates new forms, develops unique characters and mirrors the dynamic interactions found in nature. This piece Hybrid #1, is one of my favorite pieces that I have made so far. It…

THE ‘Gulgong Racer’ is a kiln with pedigree, like the Ferrari racing car that inspired it. Commissioned by the late Janet Mansfield, founder and then editor of Ceramics: Art and Perception magazine, The Racer was designed and built in 1995 by Frederick L. Olsen, the American artist and author of The Kiln Book 1 – a definitive manual for kiln-builders. Olsen’s project was a highlight that year at Clay Gulgong, an event that brings artists from across the globe to the small town a five-hour drive northwest of Sydney. For a younger generation, the kilns beneath the rusting ironroofed shed on the Mansfield’s remote property Morning View are a vital link to the past. “It was like visiting a shrine to pottery history for me,” artist Josh Copus of North Carolina…

The German sociologist and philosopher Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno (1903-1963) clearly distinguished the difference between ‘works of art’ and ‘things’ and of the ‘transcendence’ inherent in things. Therefore, I ask, does transcendence exist in craftworks? When we look at the characteristics of craft closely, we can tell they have the characteristics of ‘things’ because they come into close contact with us and often have a function. Alternatively, if craftworks are considered ‘works of art’, they should (in theory) have ‘something spiritual’ that transcends ‘things’. However, those who do believe that a spirituality exists in craftworks can be found in the history of western art. In particular, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant excluded sensual desire and moral desire when judging beauty and said, “such a delight, therefore, always involves a reference…

In the Autumn of 2023, coinciding with the week of the Grands Feux at La Borne for which we had come, the Galerie Capazza staged an exhibition of the work of Claude Champy, Bernard DeJonghe, and Claudi Casanovas. It was in-between weather when we arrived at the gallery, the Autumn chill requiring us to pull our coats a little more tightly around ourselves as we got out of the warm car, steamed up with conversation. We headed towards the entrance a good distance away. The sharp drizzle was of the kind that made the skin tingle. Perhaps it was not the drizzle, but the impressiveness of the approach to the gallery buildings that had had its effect on us, and what we already knew lay ahead. Expansive, freshly mown lawns…

At the Dartington UK 1952 World Craft Conference, the print artist, schools inspector and founding member of the Crafts Study Centre Robin Tanner made the extraordinary claim that if children were taught craft it would so form their character that – in the future – war would be impossible. Only seven years after the industrial killing of WW2 it must have been an appealing idea if somewhat at odds with the recent behaviour of the Japanese military, members of a nation where craft was deeply revered and widely practiced. Nevertheless Tanner’s passionate lobbying led to the introduction of crafts such as pottery to the British state education curriculum at both primary and secondary level. This in turn expanded craft provision in higher education, producing by the end of the 1960’s,…

Judging a woodfire competition at a Gulgong event is more daunting than a normal judging gig. Instead of looking at a selected number of works in one digital file, or in one room, there is a whole town filled with displays of ceramics. A good walk, or several, never hurt anyone though. Given complete freedom of approach, I first needed to establish criteria. Given the range of work on display, from international masters through to beginners, I decided to focus beyond the masters, and others already well rewarded – and choose someone showing strong work, but who has not been widely promoted. Also, if possible, someone who was not repeating the standard woodfire aesthetic seen everywhere. It would be an encouragement award rather than a confirmation award. Judging a woodfire…

Archaeologists have found that ancient Chinese people commonly used ceramic pillows for sleeping. This raises questions about the comfort of such hard pillows namely, how could they be comfortable to sleep on? Ceramic pillows are a unique part of China’s cultural heritage, with a history dating back to the Warring States period (475-221 BC). During this time they were primarily rectangular with varied patterns. Although ceramic techniques improved during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), it wasn't until the Tang Dynasty that ceramic pillows began to receive widespread attention. The Tang Dynasty marked a flourishing period for ceramic art, with advancements in glaze and kiln technology enabling more intricate designs and a broader range of colors. The popularity of ceramic pillows continued from the Five Dynasties period (907-960…