survey_35 — new-wave ceramics
1. Bai Ming — 白明 (Yugan, Jiangxi, 1965)
A ceramicist, painter and writer: he works with porcelain (釉下彩) as well as painting, lacquer and installation; he builds a modern Chinese language of ceramics out of the traditional technique of Jingdezhen.
- Path — born in September 1965 in Yugan county (Jiangxi province, about a hundred kilometres from Jingdezhen); in 1990 he entered the ceramics department of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (now the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University); he is now a full professor and head of the ceramics department and executive deputy director of the museum of the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University.
- Theory and teaching — seven years of field research in Jingdezhen and the book “景德镇传统制瓷工艺” (2002, China Book Award, translated into French and English); author of “世界现代陶艺概览” and other works on contemporary ceramics; a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) at UNESCO.
- Works — the series “思辩·形式”, “物语”, “瓷石之间”; the works “生生不息”, “瓷石之间” and “苇风吟” have entered the collection of the British Museum; solo exhibitions at the Musée Cernuschi (Paris, 2014), the Saragon museum (France, 2018), the KERAMIS museum (Belgium, 2019) and the Museum of Asian Art in Nice (2020).
2. Lü Pinchang — 吕品昌 (Shangrao, Jiangxi, 1962)
A sculptor and ceramicist: he combines sculpture and 陶艺, and is the author of the series “中国写意”, “阿福”, “遗迹景观”, “太空计划” and “捆绑的形体”; president of Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
- Path — born in 1962 in Shangrao (Jiangxi province); at sixteen he entered the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, stayed on to teach after graduating and later studied at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts; in 1988 he completed postgraduate study at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute under Zhou Guozhen and Yin Yipeng; from 1995 to September 2020 he was deputy dean of the faculty of plastic arts and head of the sculpture department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts; in 2020 he took the helm of Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
- Roles — chairman of the Public Art Committee of the China Artists Association; chairman of the Jiangxi Artists Association; vice-chairman of the China Urban Sculptors Association; vice-president of the Chinese Sculpture Society; a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC); initiator and chief curator of the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale.
- Works — the series “中国写意” (including “鉴宝者”, 2011), “阿福” (No. 1–No. 35), “遗迹景观”, “太空计划” (2004–2020), “捆绑的形体” and “原型与复制”; the solo exhibition “埴象——吕品昌艺术30年” (CAFA Art Museum, 2020); works in the National Museum of China, the National Art Museum of China, the Shanghai Museum and the Archie Bray Foundation (USA).
3. Zhou Guozhen — 周国桢 (Anren, Hunan, 1931 — Jingdezhen, 2025)
A sculptor and ceramicist: he created “动物世界”, a language of animalistic ceramic sculpture that united folk modelling, Western realism and the technique of Jingdezhen; one of the founders of modern Chinese 陶艺.
- Path — born in August 1931 in Anren county (Hunan province); in 1954 he graduated from the sculpture faculty of the Central Academy of Fine Arts; from August 1954 he worked at the Ceramics Research Institute of the Ministry of Light Industry and from 1976 he taught at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute (now a university); professor and doctoral supervisor.
- Recognition — a board member of the China Artists Association, vice-chairman of its Jiangxi branch and head of the “Gaoling” Ceramic Art Society; in 1992 he received a state prize from the State Council of the PRC; in 2013 the China Ceramic Industrial Association presented him with an award for his contribution to education in ceramic art; he died in Jingdezhen on 29 December 2025.
- Works — the periods “朦胧” (“弹弓手”, 1955; “公社好阿姨”; “迎春”), “唯美” (high-temperature glazes, “母子羊”), “古风” (“天亮了”, 1977; “雪豹”, “黄河”, “牛脾气”) and “新表现” (coil modelling, “角马”, “羚羊”); the monumental “十二生肖” at the museum-house of his 陶艺 in Anren and the sculptures “任重道远”, “领头羊” and “奋进牛” on the campus of Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
Sources: obituary on the official website of Jingdezhen Ceramic University (jci.edu.cn), 29.12.2025 · 人民日报社《民生周刊》 / 民生网 (msweekly.com), “守护者｜周国桢：一生“叛逆” 成就六次创作革新” · China Writers' Portal (chinawriter.com.cn), interview “在“窑变”中思变”
4. Xu Qun — 许群 (Xining, Qinghai, 1969)
A ceramicist: she works with 青瓷 and 釉药 and is the author of the series “冰花”, “青与白” and “芳”; the study of glazes and vessel ceramics is the main direction of her work.
- Path — born in 1969 in Xining (Qinghai province); in 1992 she graduated from the ceramics department of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) and that same year began teaching in the art faculty of East China Normal University; in 2001 she received an MA in ceramics from the China Academy of Art; she is now an associate professor in the ceramics department.
- Method — in the 1990s she worked with contemporary art and installation, and the series “冰花” (1994–2002) brought her international recognition; she later turned to 青瓷 and glazes, studying the pairing of 釉药 with the forms of domestic vessels; she heads the “许群陶艺实验室” laboratory in Huaning (Yunnan province).
- Recognition — gold at the 9th National Ceramic Innovation Review, gold and bronze at the 9th and 10th National Art Exhibitions, gold at the 11th Zhejiang provincial art exhibition and an honourable mention at the 5th International Ceramics Exhibition in Mino (Japan); her works are held in the National Art Museum of China, the Zhejiang Art Museum, the Folk Art Museum of the China Academy of Art, the University of Berlin and the IAC foundation (Finland).
5. Zhi Min — 郅敏 (1975)
A sculptor: since 2015 he has been building the series “二十四节气” from individual ceramic elements on a steel core, combining 陶瓷, metal and the Chinese tradition of seasonal cycles.
- Path — born in 1975; in 1997 he graduated from the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (bachelor's degree) and in 2007 from the sculpture faculty of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (master's degree); in 2006–2007 he studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD, USA); he is now executive vice-president and professor at the Sculpture Institute of the China Academy of Art and a doctoral supervisor.
- Roles — secretary-general of the Ceramic Art Committee of the China Artists Association; a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) at UNESCO; a visiting professor at the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts; a jury member for the 13th National Art Exhibition and for the art and design of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
- Works — “二十四节气” (since 2015, 15 works), “河图洛书”, “天象四神”, “鸿蒙”; the sculpture “二十四节气——立秋” won a gold medal in the sculpture category at the 39th Florence Prize for literature and art (2022, the first laureate from China) and “天象四神-青龙” won bronze at the “高岭奖” of the Jingdezhen Biennale (2021); solo exhibitions at the National Art Museum of China, the Shanghai Art Museum and “点” at the 壹美术馆 museum (Beijing).
