外国陶艺家 醉心上虞创作乐园(6)

This was the German artist’s f i rst time in China. For her, it was a wonderful experience to work in the ‘root’ of ceramic art with a truly international community. “A folk opera show I went to see after I landed here inspired me a lot,” she shared with excitement.

Back in the studio, the artist put what she saw into her ceramic creations. Where she was born and grew up, Grimm’s Fairy Tales is something that is burned into everyone’s subconscious. “Her works remind us of Grimm’s Fairy Tales – a wonderland of tranquil lakes and lush forests,” someone representing the local cultural and media authority commented on Grimm’s ceramic works.

During her stay at the Shangyu art center, Monika Kaden, also from Germany, produced a series of celadon pieces that draw inspiration from Chinese philosophical thoughts. “Traditional Chinese culture, Laozi (the founder of Taoism) in particular, always fascinates me and serves as an on-going source of inspiration, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to be so close to the origin of celadon culture,” Monica stated, adding that “here in China, many materials are better than many other places I worked in.”

著名艺术家韩美林到访。Han Meilin, a prominent Chinese artist, visits the center in Shangyu.

A versatile artist with an established reputation in a wide range of fields including ceramics, sculpture, set design and poster design, Monica has been focusing on sculpture and ceramics in recent years, ranking among the world’s most active 3D artists.

All her works crafted at the Shangyu studio present local cultural elements such as rice straw, f i sh and bamboo and ref l ect substantial inf l uences from local farming customs, as is vividly embodied in two quaintly named pieces in her ‘Taoism series’.

When Gerit Grimm was packing after completion of the Shangyu program, four artists from the US, Australia and Canada arrived at the art center. The relay baton will also be taken by a dozen of artists who are making preparations to take part in the exciting program and make the best of such a rare opportunity of cultural immersion.

For Mary McPartian and Nick, both from America, the experience of celebrating the Chinese New Year with the local farmers at their cozy home in the countryside was memorable.

The artists’ Shangyu adventure was also enriched by the enthusiasm of Gu Shaobo, a Shangyu native and extraordinary representative of the Yue celadon craftsmanship of Shangyu. For the artists,sitting down with the chatty, affable man to discuss his works and dreams, and share the mythical beauty of the ‘secret color’, was an inspiring encounter to say the least.

The success of the program is bringing the colossal amount of information encapsulated in the ceramic pieces waiting to be excavated from the large number of sleepy kiln remains in the suburbs of Shangyu into the wide sphere of vision of the global ceramic artist community. For the artists, the program takes them back to the craft’s fl ourishing age where they can ‘talk’ with the ancient artisans.

文章来源：《现代国际关系》 网址: http://www.xdgjgx.cn/qikandaodu/2020/0930/401.html