World-renowned Ceramic Artist Studio. Volume 1 of the Americas

Author: Bai Ming
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-01-03
Features: This book is quite different from my previous works:
1. Before submitting the manuscript, I deleted an article on Chinese and foreign ceramic art research, nearly 20,000 words long. What I had to say about it had already been covered in several of my other books and articles. Upon review, these statements, though varied, seemed to delve deeper, yet they 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, my emotional bias made it highly likely that my article would be one-sided. In the context of Chinese higher education and contemporary art, where endless debates are held on issues like concepts and techniques, tradition and modernity, theory and practice, and national identity versus internationalism, it was even more unnecessary to add to the discourse. Therefore, after the short preface and afterword, as the author, you won’t find any introductions I wrote 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 includes 112 internationally renowned ceramic artists, most of whom are members of the International Ceramic Association of UNESCO. Many of them are celebrated in the global ceramic art world, and several are masters whose works in modern ceramic history cannot be overlooked. Most of the artists included have provided images and descriptions of their creative processes, which was one of the most challenging and laborious parts of the manuscript collection 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 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 book thus holds precious archival value and serves as a textbook for techniques and methods, a feature rarely seen in contemporary ceramic art publications, catalogs, and monographs. In today’s frequent exchanges within 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 insights into the artists and their creations.
4. All the works, demonstrations, and texts in the book are personally provided and signed by the artists, a rare occurrence in the domestic publishing industry. Each artist’s works are presented as individual volumes, and I made no cuts as long as the clarity met publication standards. 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 letters inviting 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, or time constraints. This highlights the differences between compiling an international-scale art catalog and simply editing a collection of Chinese artists’ works. Additionally, 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 inevitable. We chose not to adopt a simple and conventional approach to compiling the works but instead included so many challenging elements and bilingual text to enhance the book’s academic depth and international exchange impact. However, the effort and hardship involved in this far exceed ordinary expectations.
6. More than half of the artists featured in the book are being systematically introduced in China for the first time. Some artists I have previously introduced are also featured here with new works and creative process content, giving the book a fresh and innovative look.
7. I invited several artists and art critics from different nationalities and backgrounds to contribute articles to this book. The sincerity, wisdom, and passionate attention they bring to Chinese ceramic art, as well as their selfless support for the author, have not only enriched the book’s academic perspectives but also infused it with vitality and a warm, caring spirit.