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The direction indicator of Chinese ceramic art in the 21st century
2020-04-23

 

The Ning Gang Ceramic Art Museum, which opened recently in Pujiang Town, Shanghai, has added a new cultural and artistic landmark to the magic city of Shencheng. This, almost overnight, has blown up the circle of friends in the ceramics industry and the entire arts and crafts industry. , Caused an unprecedented sensation.    

 

Ning Gang Introduction 

In "Southern Weekend", there is a passage: "Parisians cherish castles and churches for thousands of years, but are also willing to accept the Eiffel Tower from the industrial age. At the same time, they are obsessed with the small book stalls at the bottom of the city (United Nations World Intangible Cultural Heritage )", what is described here is probably the diversification of the city. In China, Shanghai is undoubtedly a model of urban diversification with its economic and cultural characteristics of inclusiveness and tolerance. Even if we simply take the art exhibition hall as an example, no matter its complete category or high level, it is enough to envy partners in other large, medium and small cities. For example, the Ning Gang Ceramic Art Museum, which opened in Pujiang Town, Shanghai recently, has added a new cultural and artistic landmark to the magic city of Shencheng. This, almost overnight, upset the ceramics industry and the entire arts and crafts industry. The circle of friends has caused an unprecedented sensation.

 

 

  

Some works in the exhibition hall  

 
 

 

 

 

It is true that this is by no means an ordinary personal artist exhibition hall, but a special artist with multiple identities, who interprets what is a "model" with extraordinary determination and creative desire. As the president of the world's only ceramic university, Ning Gang not only undertakes the important task of inheriting the development of Chinese ceramic culture, but also leads us to find the answer to the self-confidence of Chinese culture through his own practice and amazing creative achievements. The exhibition settled in Shanghai on the occasion of leaving the old and welcoming the new. This is not only the last congratulatory gift to the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, but also the earliest tribute to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in 2021! 

 

Expert interpretation

Wang Zhong

 

Famous art theory critic and former editor-in-chief of "Fine Arts" magazine

 

The state that Teacher Ning Gang showed us is very exciting. It is inseparable from Mr. Ning Gang’s personal artistic accomplishment and his comprehensive foundation of Chinese and Western art. His works are both in shape and color. very good. At the same time, he attaches great importance to tradition and folk art, creating these moving works today. Through these works, it is amazing to see the rich potential of ceramic art itself, as well as the potential infinite possibilities. In the past, we always regarded ceramic art as a kind of arts and crafts, as if compared with traditional paintings, oil paintings, and Chinese paintings, we always felt that it was so inferior. This is actually a kind of prejudice. I think this batch of works by Teacher Ning Gang breaks this boundary. Ceramic art can be on the same level as oil painting art and traditional Chinese painting art, so I think Professor Ning Gang’s exploration and innovation over the years have greatly enhanced the status of ceramic art. Let ordinary people and experts see that ceramic art itself has such noble quality. 

Deng Fuxing

Former Director of Fine Arts Research Institute of China Academy of Art

 

Ning Gang perfectly combines the art of painting with the unique craftsmanship and materials of ceramics, showing the unique texture, bright colors, strange changes and mysterious feelings of ceramic language, which makes people feel shocked. On the one hand, these works of his have inherited the traditional context and have deep cultural heritage; on the other hand, he has displayed very distinctive characteristics of the times and his own artistic personality. It can be said that he has created a new modern style. Ceramic aesthetic type.

 

The establishment of Ning Gang Art Museum is a pioneering event for local cultural construction, and it is also a prosperous era in culture and art education. 

Zhou Guozhen

Famous ceramic artist, professor of Jingdezhen Ceramic University

 

Ning Gang has not forgotten his major as the principal, and his works are very creative and have the value of traditional art, which I admire very much. What he pursues is likeness and dissimilarity. He is neither very realistic nor very abstract. Chinese plastic art pursues likeness and dissimilarity. He has realized the concepts of traditional plastic art. His painting style has changed again and again, and has developed on the basis of the original. 

Lu Pintian

Executive Vice President of China National Academy of Arts, Deputy Director of Theoretical Committee of China Artists Association, Chief Editor of "Art Observation"

 

In recent years, Mr. Ning Gang has made great achievements in ceramic art creation. I think his ceramics can particularly represent the development of contemporary Chinese ceramic art and are the epitome and representative of the prosperity of Chinese ceramic art. He is rooted in a profound tradition. Jingdezhen’s finest traditional craftsmanship has been inherited in his ceramic creations. At the same time, he combines this traditional craftsmanship, technique, technique, material and French style well. I think four "sex" can be used to summarize his achievements in ceramic art creation. One is his pioneering nature, which broadens the field of expression of ceramic art; the second is his exploratory nature. On the basis of inheriting the tradition, he has made a lot of innovations and techniques for ceramic materials, crafts and decorative expressions. Hard work. The third is that his artistic appearance presents a kind of "comprehensiveness". He has integrated many decorative materials, decorative methods and other artistic elements to create a feature that reflects the spirit of the times and also reflects his personal aesthetic feelings. The fourth is his "exquisiteness." Ning Gang’s works are very exquisite. Every piece of his work has a precise grasp of the artistic elements, and handles all kinds of contradictory relationships well, bringing diversity and unification Sexuality is handled very well, such as the contingency of the glaze color and the inevitability of decoration, the natural craftsmanship and the skillful artificial treatment, which reflect his respect and compliance with the laws of ceramic art. 

 

 

 

When you step into the Ning Gang Ceramic Art Museum, you will first come to the reception hall on the first floor. The red brick elements become the main clue of the design throughout the space of the exhibition hall. Ceramics are the wisdom of the Chinese working people and the crystallization of earth and fire. Among them, on the front wall is an 18-meter-long large-scale mural "Ruixiang" with a visually stunning effect. This work is the artist’s deconstruction and resetting of the main elements in the plum blossom work series and the lotus crane work series previously created by the artist, combining ink and color techniques with modern UV ceramic printing technology to create a brand new and more Lively, free, and cheerful icon. This boldly combining manual art with industrial technology, both in terms of enlarging the volume and enriching decoration, greatly expands people’s understanding of traditional ceramic murals, and provides Chinese ceramic decorative art in a wider public space and A wide range of cross-border cooperation provides new guidance and direction! 

 

Expert interpretation

Li Yanzu

Changjiang Scholar, Professor of Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University

 

Teacher Ning Gang graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University. He is an outstanding ceramic artist and ceramic art educator who grew up on the land of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of a thousand years. This exhibition comprehensively summarizes and reflects the achievements made by Mr. Ning Gang in the decades of ceramic art creation, ceramic art education, and the administration of ceramic universities. From the perspective of his works, it not only reflects his personal achievements, but also reflects the new face of the development of contemporary ceramics in Jingdezhen. He represents the new height and new level of ceramic art creation in our era, and comprehensively demonstrates the level and achievements of Chinese contemporary ceramic artists in terms of innovation. 

Chen Hanqing

Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, School of Art and Design, Wuhan University of Technology

 

Ning Gang’s artistic achievements are reflected in the combination of morality and education in the educational philosophy, and the combination of decoration and form, inheritance and innovation, concrete and abstract, subtle and grand, theory and practice, ideal and reality in artistic creation. And the characteristics in the eight directions of nationality, innovation, comprehensiveness, uniqueness, infinite possibilities, leading, cultural creativity and future. 

Qian Haiyuan

Former Vice Chairman of Hunan Artists Association

Ning Gang is a master of ceramic art cultivated by our New China and stepped out of Chinese tradition. He has both innovation and a global vision. He represents the best ceramic art achievements of our country. The establishment of the Ninggang Ceramic Art Museum in Shanghai has opened a window to the world for Chinese ceramic art. 

Meng Shufeng

Executive Chairman of the Chinese Ceramic Master Union, Chinese Arts and Crafts Master

As a potter, President Ning Gang speaks with technology. As an artist, he uses his own artistic endorsement. As a scholar, he responds with research results. As a leader, he has his responsibility. As a representative of the People’s Congress, Leading the direction of ceramics development and setting an example for our ceramic industry. It is worthy of Zhang Zai's "Establish a heart for the heaven and the earth, establish a life for the living and the people, continue to learn for the holy, and open peace for all generations." 

Liu Yuanchang

Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts

 

The pottery works in the Ning Gang Art Museum tell a vivid story about how the profound national heritage was highlighted in the golden age of artistic exploration. 

Guo Aihe

Master of Chinese Ceramic Design Art

Teacher Ning Gang’s artistic style is “dense ink and color”. This is the root of our Chinese culture and the essence of Chinese culture. You can integrate all the skills and craftsmanship of Chinese kilns into your own artistic creation. This is very valuable. This kind of learning Spirit is the representative of our entire Chinese ceramic culture. Ceramics is the only witness of China's five thousand years of civilization. Professor Ning Gang once went to Luoyang eight times a year to create 100 three-color art, and integrate many craft arts into three-color art, which is very inclusive and open. 

 

 

Display areas of different production areas 

 

Ning Gang

President of Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Master of Chinese Ceramic Art, Ph.D., Doctoral Tutor, Representative of the 13th National People's Congress.

Regarding the choice to locate the art museum in Pujiang Town, President Ning Gang pointed out that the introduction of ceramic culture into Shanghai is also to tell Chinese stories and promote Chinese culture, because ceramics have allowed the world to understand China in history, link the world with China, and influence the world. Thousands of years. Talent training, scientific research, social services, cultural dissemination, and international exchanges are the responsibilities of our Ceramic University, which can be reflected in this art museum because it is non-business and purely academic. Shanghai is a city full of rivers and rivers, with cultures from all over the world. We can all learn from each other, communicate with each other, and learn from others. He also specifically mentioned, “There is no other shortcut to art, only diligence. When I reach this age, I often paint until two or three in the morning. If young people can meet what they like, they must work hard.” If It is said that there are secret books for artistic creation. Perhaps, these simple words are the best interpretation of the code. 

Along the escalator to the second floor is the exhibition hall of the art gallery, covering Ning Gang’s personal profile graphic wall, rest and thinking area, main exhibition hall, and a collection of different production areas including Henan Jun porcelain, Luoyang Sancai, and Longquan celadon. Display area. Ning Gang said that artistic creation cannot be done behind closed doors. It must go out to see the world, absorb different artistic nutrients from all over the world, look back at history, observe the present, and generate more thoughts. Only such works will not be unfavorable water, without roots. Wood, in turn, has a lasting artistic vitality that touches people's hearts. He incorporated the styles of oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, and decorative painting into ceramic paintings, making his works originate from tradition but different from tradition. In the main exhibition hall, we seem to be able to see President Ning Gang’s artistic journey over the past ten years. At different times, attempts of different materials together form a three-dimensional art field, and the various shapes, textures and forms of the famous kilns in China , Decoration and local characteristics are all concentrated in the same space, showing Ning Gang's personal style and artistic pursuit from a three-dimensional perspective. 

As a prominent symbol of Chinese culture, ceramics has always played an important role as a cultural messenger in the process of foreign exchanges, and is an important business card for promoting Chinese culture to "go global." This is reminiscent of the 13th National Art Exhibition Ceramic Art Exhibition that was unveiled in Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital, a few days ago, which attracted close attention from nearly a million people, which can be said to have caused explosive controversy. Countless ceramic art practitioners fell into unprecedented confusion and deep thinking at almost the same period. Where should the future development of Chinese modern and contemporary ceramic art go? In Ning Gang Shanghai Ceramic Art Museum, we seem to have found the answer! 

  

Expert interpretation

Xia Gaosheng

Former full-time vice chairman of the China Building Ceramic Association, executive vice chairman of the Chinese Ceramic Master Union

 

President Ning Gang takes root in his life and is diligent in creation. It is worth learning from every artist. No artist can succeed without hard work. Today's academic forum is not just an academic forum for Ninggang's art, it fully embodies an ideological forum for the inheritance and innovation of Chinese ceramics. The uniqueness of its artistic language is highly recognizable. If every artist can have such a symbolic label belonging to their own, Chinese culture will be almost easy to reach the world. His artistic creation is closely connected with the revitalization of the country’s national culture, and is synchronized with health, progress, happiness, happiness, and Chinese society. He has an artistic mindset that spans China and the West and through the kiln mouth. In fact, he can only grow on the genes of Chinese excellent culture Chinese art, with both individuality and tolerance, is the world and the future. 

Hu Jie

Executive Dean, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

 

This time I came to the Ning Gang Art Museum, not in vain. It not only broadened my horizons, but also made me realize that ceramic art has unlimited space. The historical significance of the establishment of the Ning Gang Art Museum in Shanghai lies in the integration of Shanghai style culture and Chinese and Western culture. This will inevitably produce new milestones in ceramic art and promote the development of ceramic art to a new level. 

Qian Weipeng

Curator of Shanghai Tianwu Museum, executive vice chairman of China Ceramic Masters Union, famous collector appraisal expert

 

Artistic value determines its economic value, and artistic repetition equals zero. When I arrived at the Ninggang Art Museum today, I felt a strong visual impact. At a glance at the thousand-year-old Chinese style, it can be said that the momentum is magnificent, watching what it exhibits, and knowing what it supports. From the works of Professor Ning Gang, we have seen the mixture of ancient Chinese traditions and excellent Western culture. When we talked about ceramics in the Qing and Ming dynasties, we said that "there must be pictures, there must be auspiciousness", that is very superficial. Ning Gang’s art has surpassed the highest stage of the auspicious philosophy. For example, the interpretation of life and death. The birds at the entrance of the exhibition hall are among the withered reeds and lotuses, which actually symbolize the power of new life. Ning Gang’s art is mixed. Shanghai is a good window for the classic culture of many kiln mouths. The ceramic art produced in Jingdezhen needs a good window to display and spread. The Ning Gang Ceramic Art Museum has settled in Shanghai and promises to be completely public, with excellent and broad mind.

 

Zhou Shaohua

Deputy Director, Cultural Relics Conservation and Appraisal Research Center, Zhejiang University

Judging whether a piece of ceramic art is valuable includes three aspects: history, science, and artistic value. And these three dimensions have been concentrated in the works of Mr. Ning Gang. His works have a distinctive personality, the color is bright red, and the themes are mostly auspicious meanings such as auspiciousness, harmony, peace, harmony, freedom, happiness, world peace and a world community with a shared future. They are full of positive energy, and this is exactly what we are today. The main theme of society makes every work exudes the unique flavor of this era. The historical value of such works is self-evident. Mr. Ning Gang’s original "Ning-style Doucai", its craftsmanship originated from the Yongle and Chenghua periods of the Ming Dynasty and the multicolored and doucai, but its artistic level, scientific and technological level, has far exceeded the Ming Dynasty. He applied the scientific principle of the high-temperature color glaze change of Jun kiln in Song Dynasty. The technique of "one color in the kiln, and a variety of colors out of the kiln" is achieved by using high-temperature color glaze with rich color development in the form of splashing glaze. Among them, there are the wisdom of the Song people, the skills of the jade craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty, and the colors of the Qing Dynasty court. This is an integration and innovation of traditional technologies, and is a technological innovation that no one had thought about, let alone done. Through the blending of splash ink and fine brushwork, his works form colorful textures and patterns, natural in form, rich and changeable, with a strong sense of the times, demonstrating a unique artistic value.

 

If we can still appreciate porcelain and meet friends as we do today, then maybe the works of many famous artists in modern and contemporary times are rare in the world, but the "Ning-style Doucai" ceramic artwork must be a "national treasure" cultural relics 500 years later , Treasures that people are scrambling to collect! Believe me, this will surely become my "golden jade"!