When clay is decorated with painting or calligraphy, or made into a sculpture and transformed from“ceramics” into “artistic ceramics”, what are the aesthetic repercussions?

Ceramics has been treated as a medium used primarily for practical purposes since ancient times, yet its application extends beyond mere function into the realm of artistic creation. “Artistic Ceramics An Exhibition by Taiwanese Artists” brings together 24 remarkable Taiwanese artists. The group includes oil painters, calligraphers, Chinese ink painting artists, painters of abstract art, print makers, and sculptors. They have contributed a total of 93 works, which will be displayed in the three categories depending on creative method, namely modeling, painting, and carving.

Modeling clay involves adding material to build form. Once the clay is shaped, colored with pigment and glaze, and fired in high temperature, it will last forever and maintain its color brilliancy almost indefinitely.

Ceramic painting uses colored glazes to paint the clay or ceramic body. Unlike other flat surfaces, such as paper or fabric, ceramics incorporates painting in three-dimensional form. The application of glazes and pigments can also achieve effects other than oil painting, water color and ink painting.

Carving clay involves removal of material to shape the work. Clay is the raw material of ceramics and one of the earliest sculpture materials. Sculptors using ceramics will often utilize glazes and pigments to create an endless variety of chromatic and threedimensional effects that other materials cannot display.

Now let us begin our art journey with the 24 artists to the world of art and ceramics, and see how they use their artistic vocabulary to navigate the world of clay and express their artistic visions.