Artistic inspiration

According to Yu, the exhibition was first held at the China Cultural Center in Stockholm last year. And it was called Facing East because Yu believes that the world has entered a new era of shared future in which China plays an important role.

The Jingdezhen exhibition is the third stop for the show.

While the previous stops have focused on easel paintings, especially paintings on paper, in an effort to fully demonstrate to foreigners the basic elements of Chinese art－both its materials and visual thinking－the curating team has now added other art forms, such as sculptures and installations for the current exhibition to enrich the show and showcase the culture of Jing-dezhen as a center for ceramics.

Jingdezhen, which is known as China's porcelain capital, has a long history in porcelain manufacturing and has led China's porcelain industry for centuries. The town was famous for making imperial porcelain wares, and was thus given the name of a Ming Dynasty emperor.

Everything in the town highlights the influence and culture of porcelain. Many old kilns there are still in use after several hundred years, in addition to the mushrooming of ceramic workshops owned by local craftsmen and artists from all over the world.

According to Yu, the works on show in Jingdezhen break the boundaries of materials. And one instance of this is shown by Zhang Fangbai, a Beijing-based artist who held a solo exhibition at Museum Ludwig in Cologne earlier this year.