M&O 2018 | Ziang Zhu: Cells

Ziang Zhu, born in 1988, graduated in sculpture from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute. The series Cells was created in 2012 and has been collected successively by Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute and Chinese Sculpture Museum.

His work presented at Craft Trascendence: Chinese Contemporary Objects, 'Cells', demonstrates the proficiency of the designer in the ceramic material. It breaks the public’s habitual thinking pattern, decomposes and reorganises the delicate vase commonly seen in daily life, revealing the continuous cell division and life extension.

Cell, 35cm×35cm×10cm, 2012

Cells represents the cell-division process and development of traditional ceramic culture, exploring the possibility of innovating the form of visual language via conventional ceramic elements. The work tries to guide the audience to rethink the use of traditional ceramics values through the utensils. This makes use of the transformation of space and structure to change the existing ceramic products from everyday objects to artworks.

Making process

The concept of present work is to deconstruct and reorganise five traditional Jingdezhen pieces including plum vase, gourd pot, square bottle, beauty-arch bottle and Chinese lute bottle. During the procession, the works were glazed and fired once. While purity of the material is ensured, the shadows generated by lines and surfaces greatly enrich the modelling, thus shaping the firm, soft and smooth artistic form. Through the cross conversion of the pure colour, consonant sequence and elegant rhyme, the spatial style of the work is coordinated with the rhythm displayed by it, and therefore achieves the simple and elegant beauty of neutralisation, making the fragile ceramics present unique interior space and visual experience.

Image source: Ziang Zhu