Culture Beat: Jingdezhen Ceramic Biennale Exhibition arrives in Beijing

A man makes porcelain at the exhibition in Beijing. Photo: Courtesy of Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum

Jingdezhen Ceramic Biennale Exhibition arrives in Beijing

The Spirit of Porcelain - Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale Tour Exhibition opened on Sunday at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum.

The tour has selected 100 outstanding works from the 2021 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale, representing 15 countries and regions. The exhibited pieces span various techniques, forms, and styles of ceramic art, including vessels, sculptures, installations, paintings and images.

Inside the exhibition hall, a pile of "old books" are displayed on a stand. The works include classic works such as the Tao Te Ching, Modern Chinese History, and the novel The Scream. The curled pages and yellowed covers make it difficult to discern the true material of the artworks. This is the work Historical Sites by artists Chaosi Yi and Chaos Wei.

Five artist studios showcased techniques such as ancient colored ceramic painting, ceramic carving, modern blue and white painting, wheel throwing and ceramic pinching, providing an eye-opening experience for visitors on Sunday.

During the exhibition, academic lectures, dialogues, and discussions by renowned professors and scholars from domestic and international institutions will be held, with the aim of sharing reflections and possibilities for the innovative development of ceramic art from multiple perspectives.

Lü Pinchang, chief curator of the exhibition, said that the exhibition showcases the latest creative achievements in the field of ceramic art, sharing the creative experiences and cases of outstanding artists. It aims to promote more extensive academic exchanges and cooperation between institutions, sparking the vitality of innovation in ceramic art development.

Seminar focuses on connection between culture and animation

An expert seminar titled The Artistic Adaptation of Domestic Animation and Its Significance for the Transmission of Traditional Culture was held in Beijing.

At the event, experts emphasized the inseparable connection between the development of domestic animation and traditional culture. Culture serves as the foundation for the development of animated works, while animation provides the driving force and medium for the development and dissemination of culture. It stimulates the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.

In recent years, domestic animated works have continuously improved their audio-visual language and innovat-ed expressive forms and thematic integration. Many animated works have incorporated elements of excellent tradi-tional culture, adding richness to their content.

For instance, animated film Deep Sea combines expressive ink techniques with realistic 3D technology, while an-other famous animated film Dahufa utilizes traditional ink aesthetics to create a strong and unique visual tension.

The relationship between domestic animation and traditional culture requires continuous innovation within the tradition, amplifying the artistic features of animation and combining traditional skills with popular culture, ad-vanced technology, and contemporary life.

A new animation based on the popular game Honor of Kings is about to be released on Saturday. It is inspired by Chinese poet Li Bai and his adventures through the game. Experts at the seminar agreed that video games can be a good source of animations as various characters can develop different story lines. It also opens a new direction for online animation productions.

Lu Keyan, the project leader at Tencent's Interactive Entertainment Tianmei Market Center, highlighted that the upcoming 3D animated film, Honor of the Moonlit Chapter, adapted from Honor of Kings, recreates the sophisticated gatherings of ancient literati, savoring wine and expressing their emotions.

In terms of architectural design, the city depicted in the film takes inspiration from the layout of the Palace Museum, incorporating various classical Chinese styles into the structures of Ming Dynasty palaces.

Lu further explained, "The costumes for supporting characters in the film are meticulously designed, drawing inspiration from the distinctive clothing of different regions, such as Miao and Yi ethnic styles."