World-renowned ceramic artist's studio. America roll. 2

Author: Bai Ming
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Features:
1. Before submitting the manuscript, I deleted an article about Chinese and foreign ceramic art research, nearly 20,000 words long. What I had to say, I had already covered in several other books and articles. Upon review, these statements, though different in wording and seemingly more profound in exploration, were essentially "old wine in new bottles" with little novelty. There was no reason to occupy readers' valuable time. As a member of the ceramic art community, the emotional tone of my writing also made it highly likely to be biased. In the context of Chinese higher education and contemporary art, where endless questions are raised about concepts and techniques, tradition and modernity, theory and practice, and national identity versus internationalism, it was even more unnecessary to elaborate excessively. Therefore, after the short preface and afterword, as the author, no introductions written by me appear in the book. I wanted the outstanding works of ceramic artists from around the world to be the most important narrative subject, supporting the academic value of ceramic art itself and minimizing the author's influence.
2. The massive eight-volume set features 112 internationally renowned ceramic artists, most of whom are members of the International Ceramic Association of UNESCO. Many of them are celebrated figures in the world of ceramic art, and many are masters whose works are indispensable in the history of modern ceramic art. Most of the artists included have provided images and descriptions of their creative processes, which was also one of the most challenging and labor-intensive parts of the solicitation and production process. Those in the industry know how difficult and almost impossible it is to ask so many influential artists to provide their creative processes within a relatively short timeframe. Fortunately and proudly, ceramic artists from around the world, with their understanding, support, and selfless cooperation, made it possible for the book to showcase these magical and uniquely charming creative processes, allowing the world to explore the diverse techniques and materials used by ceramic artists from different countries. This gives the book invaluable documentary and reference value, as well as the function of a textbook on techniques and methods. Such a feature is rare and distinctive among contemporary ceramic art books, journals, and art collections worldwide. In today's era of frequent exchanges in the international ceramic community, decoding the creative processes of so many renowned artists will undoubtedly have a profound impact on promoting and enriching ceramic culture and inspiring new creative approaches.
3. The artist biographies can reveal the economic and cultural environment in which the artists live and were educated, while their creative philosophies (or self-reports) reflect how they perceive the world and their inner selves. While these are not the only ways to interpret their works, they at least provide direct assistance in better understanding the artists and their creations.
4. All the works, demonstrations, and texts in the book are personally provided and signed by the artists for authorization, a practice uncommon in the domestic publishing industry. Each artist's works are presented in full, provided the clarity meets publication standards, and no reductions were made. Strictly speaking, this is a self-selected collection of artists from around the world, and they are the true authors of the book.
5. Although the invitations sent to these artists explicitly requested personal studio environment photos, creative process demonstrations with descriptions, artistic philosophies, biographies, and works, a small number of artists could not provide complete creative process demonstrations and some materials due to age, health conditions, and time constraints. This is one of the differences between compiling an international-scale art collection and simply editing a collection of Chinese artists' works. Moreover, some of the text materials provided were not in the required English, so after translating them into Chinese and then back into English, some inaccuracies were unavoidable. The reason we did not opt for a simpler and more conventional way of compiling works but instead included so much challenging content and bilingual text was undoubtedly to enhance the book's academic value and its impact on international exchanges. However, the effort and hardship involved in this far exceed the imagination of ordinary people.
6. More than half of the artists featured in the book are being systematically introduced in China for the first time. Among the artists I have previously introduced, many of the works published here are new, along with their creative processes, giving the book a fresh and innovative appearance.
7. I invited several artists and art critics from different nationalities and backgrounds to contribute articles to the book. The sincerity, wisdom, and passionate concern for Chinese ceramic art, as well as their selfless support for the author, not only enriched the book's academic perspectives but also infused it with vitality and a warm current of care.